Bounded Bond
by DrekkDeina
Summary: Cat Noir and Ladybug patrol as usual, an accident changing the dynamics between each other... and in how they view themselves. In or out of the mask, both venture on a journey of discovery in a world they end up confiding in one another with, being that Cat gets insight from Marinette. BDSM elements and plot. Warning to all who don't like that.
1. Accidental Discovery

**Welcome to my latest endeavor of a story! **

**I wanted to make something that's itched at the back of my mind for a long while concerning this fandom. I hope all like it, as I love writing it. **

**Just some forewarning, this fic IS of the mature variety. Not necessarily yet, but it WILL develop as such. The big thing I'm sure may be a bit iffy for some is that this fic heavily features the BDSM culture element in the plotline. There will be a main story, though the aspect of BDSM will run in tandem with it. If this is against your views, affinities, or just plain not your thing... I advise you don't read it. **

**That said, this won't be a wholly sexualized version of BDSM. As someone who is part of this world, it's not just "A kink" or "a fun night"... it's a lifestyle with many facets that give every person or relationship as much uniqueness as a snowflake. It can be as heavily ingrained as establishing roles... or as simple as a possessive bite instead of a kiss. To some, it is a well prepared event to keep in private, and others, it is an everyday influence on how they interact with others in a consensual exchange that doesn't have to be sexual. **

**I hope to explore the aspects I have seen and that which I've lacked to see sometimes when it's turned into fiction... (A certain book turned horrible movie franchise rings a bell...) **

**Anywho! **

**To those that haven't decided to exit the page from my fair warning, I sincerely hope you enjoy this. I look forward to reviews and such. If you have any sensitive questions about the content, either here or future, I don't mind a message to that effect.**

**Credit for the cover art goes to an artist called Vixen. She was so sweet to do this for me. **

**ALSO... i'm trying something new... I usually do a strange snack but there's only so many before they get repetitive... **

**So, I shall be alternating a new thing along with it. Strange Snacks and Estranged Eats, whereas the second one will be my conceptual thoughts on something to eat that just doesn't fit in the mind. XD **

**Today... Marshmallows dipped in ranch. **

**Let that settle in your brains. XD **

**Enjoy! **

* * *

Eyeing the city from one of the many vantage points, Ladybug sighed, resting her chin upon her arm, propped up on a bent knee. Currently, her view was courtesy of the news station building, the wind wisping through her hair and raking over her cheeks.

It was one of those days… the ones where she felt burdened by life so much so, that being in the suit felt like an escape. No one correlated Marinette to Ladybug and while she was Ladybug… she didn't have to subject her thoughts or worries to those of Marinette.

Cat Noir had mentioned something about this once in passing… though at the time, she hadn't really listened.

Suffice it to say, he was right in some respect. As the years advanced, her obligations increased.

As a seventeen year old high school student in the end of her junior year, having been class president and part of the student council, as well as all the extra curriculars and catering to all her classmates whims and requests as best she could, Marinette's civilian life had become heavily burdened, not to mention the coming pressure of her senior year and expectations to plan for post graduation courses and career paths.

With summer vacation quickly approaching, she figured she would gain some measure of relief but her parents had recently requested her aid in the bakery as a summer job. Being the good daughter she strived to be, she couldn't tell them no. It wouldn't be that bad, given that she was used to it anyways, but she hoped to gain a breather from everything before being thrown to the wolves upon her graduating year.

The noise of a mechanical extension made the heroine turn her head, seeing Cat Noir land deftly on the roof with her and saunter towards her, smirk firmly plastered to his face.

"Well hello there, My Lady," he offered, eyes searching hers. His baton twirled as he hopped over the edge and sat down next to her, facing Ladybug instead of staring out across the city like she was. "Enjoying the view?"

"Sort of… Want to do the same?" she asked.

"I already am," Cat answered easily, his green eyes casting a soft gaze over her features. The young girl blushed a bit, the sincerity of his tone throwing off her ability to keep it together.

The black clad hero's infatuation with her had never seemed to falter over the past couple of years. He never pressed too far but never let her forget his interest. It was endearing, but reminded her of the resolve she wished to have for Adrien in her life.

Daring a sideways glance at her partner, Ladybug saw the gentle curve to his lips that showed the truest of smiles, simply taking her in. She wished Adrien would give her that same forlorn look.

"Nice of you to say, Kitten, but I'm sure there is plenty more to see than just me," she tried to deflect. "There's a whole world out there to see."

"And I'm looking at her right now," the hero replied evenly, short circuiting the spotted heroine for the second time in all but sixty seconds.

"Yeah… but the stars are out… gonna look?" came her meek voice and further attempt at moving the subject away.

"I already see the most vibrant star sitting right in front of me," Cat told her with the smoothest of tones, both melting her heart and infuriating her. She almost preferred him to be slinging puns at this point.

Choosing to take the more direct path, Ladybug pouted and used a finger to his chin to turn his head away and force him to look out at Paris. The sun had since set and the stars were increasing in brilliance and number.

Almost as if the sight before him was lackluster in its intensity, she could see her partner's expression falter ever so slightly.

_Am I really that captivating? _the insecure part of her mind dared to ask, a blush permeating her cheeks as she contemplated the idea.

Her fingers traced over her hair, pulling a few errant strands back. Cat's eyes flicked to the side, watching her do as much.

It was difficult to remain steadfast in her feelings sometimes when he was so sincere and charismatic with his towards her.

Nevertheless…

"Ready for patrol?" she incited him.

"Always, Bugaboo," came the well used reply.

Both leaped from the top of the building, falling the many stories until they could use their respective tools to slow their descent easily. Ladybug slung her yo-yo around a light pole, with Cat Noir spinning his extended baton to slow his fall and land on a rooftop, running upon landing. She swung in a pendulum arc, being vaulted upwards to land right next to him, breaking into a run as well.

They hopped and jumped from roof to roof, dodging and circumventing obstacles, eventually making their round towards residential districts.

While it was technically a patrol, the streets were much too mundane and void of crime with them about that it turned into more of a stress relief.

They took turns trying to take the lead, switching on occasion as one faltered or slowed in step. There was the random person every now and then that stopped and pointed at them, excited words being shouted in support of their heroes.

While appreciating it, Ladybug hardly felt she deserved it right now. They still hadn't caught Hawkmoth and forced him to surrender his Miraculous. Not to mention the rare, though still present, intervention of the Peacock Miraculous. It could take the intense emotional turmoil in a person, much like an akuma infecting a victim, bringing forth a sort of familiar that could act as a temporary guardian.

The rarity of its presence made the duo, as well as Fu himself, assume that either there was a problem with the Miraculous, barring usage as often as the Butterfly Miraculous, or certain unknown restrictions were a factor.

"Ladybug!" Cat called out in her haze, drawing her attention and jolting her back to the present. She was heading face first into a smokestack of a residential roof. Juking to the side, she sidestepped flawlessly, about to give her partner a smirk…

...when she stepped on a tile shingle that came loose, sending her falling into the back alley next to the building. She whipped out her yo-yo, trying to catch it on one of the smokestacks above her now.

It bounced and came back towards her, impacting her forehead painfully as the string continued to spin out and become entangled.

It wrapped around her oddly as her stunned self was unaware of the mess she was becoming.

A strong arm wrapped itself around her midsection, taking her sideways from her fall and suddenly lifting her back up to the roof.

Cat Noir had leapt into the alley ahead of her fall, extending his baton to hit the ground and vault him upwards, now with her in tow.

"Uh… T-thanks Cat…" she voiced, thoroughly embarrassed by her misstep… or several missteps.

"No problem, My Lady," he belted out simply and happily. "I'll always catch you when you fall, although, I would prefer you fall for me." Lining that last line was his signature lopsided and roguish smirk, drawing forth the usual deadpan pout from herself.

He then shrugged and properly set her down, allowing her to stand upright again….

...only to teter and fall again.

Her partner's face became more serious, catching her once more and holding her upright, taking in her predicament.

Struggling, the spotted girl found she was bound tightly in her own yo-yo, making her groan and strain to figure a way out.

"Well…. This sucks," she grumbled uselessly. The young woman's eyes fell upon Cat, who appeared confused and unsure how to respond in this circumstance. She adapted as stern an expression as pawsible and called out to him, "Gonna help, Tomcat? Or are you just gonna stare the yo-yo into falling off?"

"Oh! Right… sorry," he mumbled, closing in and attempting to pull at the unbreakable string. Ladybug sucked in a breath as the pull made another region of the string pull taut into her skin. A blush crept through her cheeks as she felt it dig into the side of her hips.

She looked around in fear, not wanting all of Paris to look at a bright red suit all tied up and start taking pics of her humiliating accident.

"Uh… how about we find a better, more private, place to do this without potential media hounds catching us?" she offered. Cat chuckled, diffusing a bit of her tension as he clearly didn't have qualms about this, nor noticed her discomfort.

"I suppose you're right," he agreed. Looking around with his nightvision, he pointed to a nearby abandoned building, closed off for renovation and let her nod her approval.

Picking her up once more and leaping away, they made their escape and Cat Noir landed deftly on an upper level, pulling plastic tarps aside to find a place to do this without misunderstanding idiots drawing estranged conclusions.

The young man resumed trying to untangle her, making grunts and groans, reminding her of when she would try untangling a mess of Christmas tree lights fresh out of storage.

"You're really stuck, aren't you?" the leather clad boy belted out with a laugh. "Can't you just retract your yo-yo? I mean… I've seen you wrap that around the Eiffel Tower in the most random manner, pulling it back like you just used it to do a simple trick."

"Eh," the girl mentioned with a shrug, or at least a twitch of one, with her whole body rather tightly bound at the moment. "It's magic but it doesn't always act like it. Just try to unwind, untangle, unknot…. Or whatever… where you can. Once I'm free… I can just go home and detransform. The yo-yo will go back to normal."

Cat smirked for a moment, not quite helping her. He wasn't so crass to take advantage of the situation, so she dismissed the idea he was being a teenage boy taking advantage of a girl.

She knew him better….

...and this was far worse.

"Don't…" she warned him. Cat's evil smirk grew wider.

"You seem to be a bit tied up at the moment," he jibed at her. "Clearly, you've gotten yourself into a bind. What a knotty mess you've gotten into."

"Cat…"

"Ah… Sorry," he replied, smirk fading… then returning as he asked, "_Knot _a fan of rope humor?"

"Cat!" she screeched. "Let me out of here NOW or I'll get out on my own and hang you from the Eiffel Tower by your own tail!"

The black clad young man gulped, not so much in fear of her, but worried he'd gone too far.

"Sorry, My Lady," he apawlogized. "I just wanted to diffuse the tension. You seemed a bit taut."

"Was that another rope pun?" she asked in a deadly tone, eyes threatening to burn him alive.

"Huh?" Cat responded, bemused slightly as his mind caught up, hands focused on a knot. "N-no… I didn't mean… You're tense. I wanted to help. Sorry… again."

Her piercing gaze softened, seeing the look on his face of true confusion. That last one was apparently just the wrong wording.

Staying silent for now, she let him concentrate on the matter at hand. Doing her best to relax, she knew there was no point struggling. She was tightly bound and might make it worse for him by struggling too hard. She trusted him to get her out… eventually.

Just as well, their transformations would hold for quite a while anyways, since neither had any need right now to use their respective abilities. They had time.

Cat was able to get something lose, but, in the process of doing so, pulled another line that tightened across her chest. A strangled sound left her, something that was with a hint of surprise, but lined with another element that made her turn scarlet. In turn, she bit her lip and kept herself from facing her partner.

If she had looked at him, she would have seen a similar hue gracing his features, eyes locked onto the side of her head,

Cat Noir had laid Ladybug on a table, leftover from the previous occupants of the office area. She was on her side while he fiddled with the tangled mess of the back. Both the end of the yo-yo and the ring were at the back. If he could get something started with either end, he could keep that momentum up and free her much more expeditiously.

Finding another location to untangle, he tried to be gentle, prying a knot from being a problem.

A new problem arose as Ladybug began to breathe heavily, shifting and squirming slowly. It wasn't making his job more difficult… but it was distracting him. He had never seen his Lady so vulnerable. So helpless. So reliant on him.

The worst… or best… part of this, was that she trusted him implicitly. While it was obvious certain movements and ministrations made her uncomfortable or caused her potential distress, she withheld complaints, trusting he was doing his best to free her quickly.

Cat didn't know how to take that. He wasn't sure how much to take to heart.

He took a deep breath, drawing in air slowly.

As soon as he looked down, however, his breath was taken away swiftly.

Piercing blue eyes, as dark and intense as the starry sky, gave him a sidelong stare. Her pink lips were parted and wisps of her breath became a fog in the chill of the night air.

"Are you okay, Kitty?" came her concerned question.

"I… uh… I'm fine," he haphazardly replied, covering his mouth and looking away to gather his wits. "I should be asking you that."

She merely hummed ambiguously, letting her partner get back to work releasing her.

It was over half an hour of silence and intense nerves on both heroes' parts as Cat Noir freed his partner slowly but surely.

The whole mess wasn't a tangle of knots, but plenty of spots were pinching if he wasn't careful, prompting him to work slowly to unravel it all.

Supersuit or not, Ladybug could feel the increasing discomfort of being stuck in the same bound position for a long time. She resigned herself to giving up trying anything herself, which she had to admit… felt strangely freeing.

She didn't have to worry over thinking up a way out, stressing herself over time constraints, or thinking over any burdens that were weighed upon her. They didn't matter simply because she couldn't afford to worry about them at present.

Neither Ladybug or Marinette could do much about her predicament. So any of her problems were useless to worry over. All that mattered was that she try to relax and let Cat Noir free her. That was all there was currently. Anything else was simply a meaningless worry.

Taking that sentiment to heart as much as she was able, her body began to feel heavy and relaxed.

_How is being tied up making me feel more free? _Ladybug mused mentally. The answer was quite clear in her head, though she couldn't quite form the ideal into words properly.

Cat Noir, on the other paw, was having an opposing mental quandary.

Most of his life was decided upon and orchestrated by someone else, usually his father. Sure, he was trusted with a few tasks before, as well as odds and ends, but never given this level of trust to complete a task he had to adapt to and complete as he will.

Not only that, but his Lady was becoming lethargic and relaxed. He couldn't tell if she was becoming bored or simply falling asleep.

Not wanting to disturb her, he continued the task at hand.

Finally… the last twist of a yo-yo and release of a line gave Ladybug enough room to shimmy out of her wired prison.

"You can move now," the young man prompted his partner.

As if breaking from a trance, the masked girl blinked slowly and rolled over, her limbs lazy and limp.

"Huh… I don't think I can," she calmly mentioned, smiling almost sleepily.

"Oh no!" Cat yelped, closing in to examine her, forgetting he couldn't see her skin because of the suit. He couldn't check for bruises or abrasions. "Oh goodness, I'm sorry, Ladybug."

"Don't worry, Kitty," the spotted heroine told him gently. "I'm not hurt. My limbs are just a bit heavy from being like that for a while."

"So… what do we do then?"

"Just… wait with me while I rest… please?" Ladybug asked, eyes pleading.

"Y-yeah… of course, My Lady," the boy responded with.

Getting up on the table, he let his legs dangle off the edge, lifting his partner's head to rest in his lap.

Lying on her back as she stretched out, sighing with a tinge of pleasure to her voice, Cat locked his gaze with her own. The gentle smile she returned began to spike his heart rate and cause his cheeks to blush.

Nevertheless, he didn't let his eyes sway from hers, a tentative hand shaking as he laid it upon her head, softly stroking back and towards the back. She hummed in delight.

"That's nice," came her soft voice. With her tone denoting a clear sign of consent at the action, Cat Noir felt his nervousness dissipating, as he began to stroke her head more confidently and with no shaking.

It was several minutes before Ladybug stretched out again, testing her movement and jumping off the table, leaving her partner with a mild feeling of disappointment. He couldn't outright complain though. He was simply glad she was alright.

"I think we should call it a night," Ladybug offered him, knowing the ordeal definitely pushed their patrol time into something well forgotten. "We can do this again in a few days, usual time. Alright, Kitty?"

The leather clad hero numbly nodded, missing the warmth of her head in his lap.

With far more grace than earlier, the spotted heroine leapt from the building, slinging her way across the city and out of sight.

Cat began the trudging walk to the edge and lamented this peculiar night's ending.

It was a rather uneventful return to his home, vaulting through the open window and releasing his transformation, finding a stash of camembert to throw at his kwami, having assumed the usual position to catch it blindly.

"So… your Lady seemed to be in a bind earlier," Plagg sassed between gulping bites of his disgusting cheese. "You had quite the reaction to it as well. Wanna talk about it?"

"Are you actually offering to listen, or just trying to appear nice but really gonna ignore me and shovel that cheese in your mouth?" Adrien fired right back with a tepid grin.

"Uh…" the kwami began slowly, choosing not to answer by shoving another wedge in his mouth.

"That's what I thought," the blonde followed up, shaking his head but not feeling put out by it. Lending an ear or not, he knew the grumpy creature did care about him, in his own way. He didn't always listen to him, but he gave him enough complaint free time for Adrien to vent or gush about something before griping about his ramblings.

Whatever the case, the 17 year old boy wasn't quite interested in discussing this new spark that was alight inside him.

Despite his partner's strange circumstance, Adrien… liked seeing her in that state. More than liked really. He wanted that again.

A pang of guilt began to twist his insides at the thought, feeling like this new impulse was an impurity amongst the carefully carved gemstone of his facade to the world.

Rolling his eyes at his own ability to draw his thoughts back to the usual moping topic in his mind, the blonde began to focus once more on his past couple years or so as Adrien.

Every decision was made for him. Every event planned weeks in advance. Every outcome accounted for. Every minute was calculated like he was a machine that would waste its productivity if he were left to laze for more than a few seconds.

He had to struggle for every ounce of freedom, though nowadays that was like getting water by squeezing a stone. The young man simply wanted to do what every person had to do when they grew up…

...make decisions on their own.

His father's method of preparing him for such a future was to groom him to participate in the family business, learn the ropes of it as a model, then it was revealed at the beginning of his current school year that he would be taking business courses, thus why he learned chinese as a kid, seeing as many designs and markets with the Gabriel brand were inspired by or taking place in China.

None of these were his own decisions and while being Cat Noir gave him a freedom to escape that life, lately his presence amidst the others, Carapace, Rena Rouge, and Chl… Queen Bee, made him feel sidelined or diminished in his role.

He knew Ladybug would never intend, nor let that happen, but the feeling still took root in his attempts at optimism. Not to mention all his failures to protect his partner and ending up turned against her by some mind control, which only made his insecurity about lacking control of his decisions worse.

However,... being in that position with Ladybug,... he realized he wanted to exert that control and such again.

Pulling out his phone, the blonde put in a few searches, trying to make sense of his thoughts.

_What does it mean to like seeing someone tied up?_

While there were a few search results that made him blush profusely, the first one he actually took a look at that seemed devoid of vulgar details or depictions was rather thoughtful. It was a question on a forum by another individual that had a similar inquiry.

One comment mentioned an acronym BDSM, which most following comments agreed with or began to argue the exact nature of.

Deciding it was worth a look elsewhere, Adrien put the search in.

At first… he was mortified. The initial mentions and pictures were… hard to look at. They weren't gross or some such nonsense. He just wasn't prepared.

Finally, he found a very detailed explanation in a forum link, devoid of pictures or vulgar statements.

Reading through it, he became intrigued. Despite his lack of social understanding of many of the world's functions outside his home, much of what was written made sense to him.

_Bondage and Discipline, Dominant and Submissive, Sadist and Masochist._

That was the general depiction of the strange acronym, even if some people differed on the exact wording.

From everything mentioned, it appeared to Adrien that he most aligned with a dominant way of thinking, or Dom as the vernacular was.

He doubted that Ladybug would be a submissive, or Sub. She was one to take the lead, respectful of his advice and such as she was.

His eyes averted as he remembered her reactions though, reliving those heavy breaths and strangled sighs. The way she gave in to his design and trusted him without complaint.

He wondered, _Would she give into me in that way, if she returned my feelings?_

The hammer of reality set in, breaking that thought as he remembered the phantom rival of his for his Lady's heart.

He wouldn't have a chance, so long as she pined for him.

Adrien sighed heavily, deciding to further satisfy his curiosity about this new topic.

Eyes wired and concentrated on his phone, he began to read in-depth all the ideals and inner workings of this strange world.

0000000

Dropping through her skylight, Marinette dropped her transformation and laid back in bed, feeling oddly light. All the stress from earlier was gone.

Never before had a patrol really taken the edge off that much, so she knew exactly what to blame for that change.

Crossing her arms and running her fingers over her skin, she reminded herself of the feeling. The wire biting into her flesh, pulling taut against her and restricting any movement. That feeling of giving in and letting someone else take on all of her worries. She was… somehow free.

Jumping down from her bed on still wobbly legs, the bluenette locked the trapdoor to her room. It was a more common occurrence nowadays, her parents silently recognizing that she needed her privacy some nights, though their insinuations were probably more embarrassing than the truth.

Turning to her computer, she found a tab for a search engine, entering and deleting a few phrases before settling on one to satisfy her search.

_What does it mean to like being tied up?_

Her search, much to her lack of surprise, turned up quite the cornucopia of vulgar themed results that made her roll her eyes and blush mildly. She might have been more embarrassed and phased by it, though being friends with Alya meant hearing about every story and gossipy details of her love life and her other friends with loose lips.

Nino and Alya actually had a rather… simple love life, with a few exploratory branches out from the vanilla, though it was the friends' stories that usually brought the heat to the conversation. Being indulged into the journalism community, online and off, the redhead got to hear plenty and shared all too much with Marinette.

She was about to quit her search, feeling a bit put out by the light that many put on such a topic, but she clicked one last time.

Thankfully, it appeared to be a very detailed article about the ins and outs of a healthy exploration of BDSM. The bluenette had heard enough about it from Alya to view it with skepticism, since her explanations mostly surrounded the toys and sexual gratification.

Surprisingly, however, this article was relatively void of direct sexual mentions, remarking only when necessary. In fact, the way this person wrote it… it could be taken to mean two platonically non-romantic partners could explore this life without breaching sexual boundaries. Her eyebrows raised in confusion and justified skepticism.

Would that mean she could ask Cat Noir to do anything like that again without giving him the wrong ideas?

Could she try this to attain this current molten feeling in her muscles of being relaxed once more?

A feeling of guilt settled in. That simply felt like she would be using him.

Leaning back, Marinette contemplated her newfound interest, feeling that the info she was currently reading was worth expanding her knowledge on.

"Hey Tikki?" the young woman called out, slightly surprised at her kwami's lack of interaction since landing. "Why so quiet?"

Flying in from one of her usual hiding spots, the small red creature floated in front of her charge.

"I figured you would be too embarrassed by what happened to properly function…" replied the somewhat surprised kwami. The bluenette's eyes widened slightly in realization, smiling.

"I guess that was an outcome that anyone might expect," she mentioned with a mild chuckle. "Although,... I feel oddly relaxed and far less tense. It was… nice, somehow. I don't know why though."

Tikki looked as if she wanted to say something, though withheld her tongue.

Marinette could sense this, grinning gently as she spoke, "You can share. We've been friends for a while. If you know what to say, you can tell me."

"Well…" the small floating creature began, "I've been around a long while and I've seen plenty of Ladybugs go through certain things and circumstances that come with being weighed down by obligation and such."

"And?" goaded Marinette.

"And… I think being trapped like that and accepting it… became a form of release that you needed. You let go of all the things troubling you and let Cat deal with freeing you. It was a time you could do nothing."

"Why did it feel so… good?" the bluenette asked, though the question seemed half directed towards herself.

"You were unable to escape. You trusted that Cat had things handled and so…" Tikki explained, pausing slightly, "you stopped worrying. Your obligations. Your duty. Your responsibilities. Your problems. You couldn't do anything about them in that moment. Until Cat freed you, all of that mattered as much as focusing on whether you could move the stars themselves."

"I wonder if it would happen again…" the girl mused out loud.

"You want that to happen again?" the kwami voiced in mild astonishment. "That would take some really strange luck."

"Maybe I'm feeling like a lucky bug," she breathed, looking outside her window, the memory of being bound still causing tingles and chills throughout her body.

* * *

**And there is the first chapter! **

**I have plenty more planned, along with a whole underlying plot. **

**I look forward to your comments and the like. I know many won't like the direction I'm going, for reasons I'm sure I'm aware of. **

**Nevertheless, I shall address those concerns when I next post or when you message me with questions/complaints. lol. **

**Until next time, It's been a hustle, Sweethearts! **


	2. Shame and Circumstance

**Hellu there to all those interested in the story! **

**I'm loving the reception so far. Only one person I've seen seems to be missing the point of this, but otherwise you've all had such a respectful approach to this idea without assuming the worst. I appreciate that and am very thankful. **

**Now... Here is another chapter, though be warned, once I launch the first 3 or so, my updates will be slower. the first few chapters are paramount to setting the foundation for which the rest is based on, in terms of the overall theme and tone i hope to set for BDSM stuff. **

**Whatever the case, I hope everyone enjoys this latest addition. XD **

**My strange snack today is Hawaiian sweet rolls with spicy Doritos sandwiched in them. sweet and spicy. I love that combo.**

* * *

Climbing the steps towards the entrance, Adrien faltered a moment as rushed footsteps echoed past him, a familiar head of raven hair catching his eye.

Marinette found her way up the steps, clutching her bag to her chest and looking to be rather rushed.

He had no time to contemplate it as he heard the warning bell to get to class.

Normally, he wasn't so careless to be this close to late for classes, though the past couple weeks since the yo-yo incident had been wrought with him looking into a lifestyle that he was becoming more and more enamoured with.

Graduating from mundane searches with nearly cookie cutter explanations, the blonde found and participated in online forums, seeking more experiential guidance from other members of the community.

Turns out the entire thing had its own culture, with tenants and morals that were taboo to break. There was a kind of respect to that way of thinking. Not to mention that respect and trust was part of everything within it. Sure, there was this stigmatism that came with the first mention of BDSM, making many cringe or think of sexual oddities, but it had a bunch of good things to it that people within the community agreed on that made them seem like good people.

Consent was the biggest thing to never breach or break. At first he began to wonder if things were in a grey area when the incident occurred, but he reminded himself that Ladybug gave him full trust to deal with the problem at hand.

He had to put down a mental hammer on that runaway thought. He couldn't keep letting himself wander over the prospect of Ladybug going along with that. Curious as he was, he had to keep the expectation that it would never happen.

Nevertheless, he couldn't put a lid on his interest. Comments and conversations were shared, a journey of self discovery allowing him to figure out his place in all of it. It was somewhat refreshing, even if it went nowhere.

Suffice it to say, he found many nights became sleepless with thought and participating in such exchanges. Thankfully there were no individuals that pressed or tried to proposition him for real life stuff.

His thoughts were interrupted by a slipping step on something. Looking down, Adrien lifted his foot to see a small black book underfoot. With a raised brow, the blonde quickly picked it up.

Flipping it open, the boy blushed and instantly closed it, making a break for class.

0000000

Sitting in the back of class, Adrien sat back, reflecting on what he thought he saw. Maybe it was his recent investment with bondage interests but he remembered seeing a sketched image of a formless person with rope bindings in a few variations. And that was just on the page he opened to.

Looking around to see that no one was paying attention to him, the blonde found the book stowed in his bag, setting it in front of him.

He wasn't much for being in the rear of class, however, due to his increased exposure as a model in his later teen years and changing grades with new students, becoming the forefront of attention by fans who happened to share his classes was downright distracting, both for them and by them.

To further that disappointment of being forced by circumstance to sit in the back of class, Nino didn't share this particular class with him. It was an Asian culture and history course. Since it's influence was present in his father's brand, he felt it necessary to include it in Adrien's curriculum. Most of the faces he didn't know… except…

There was a fidgety girl in the front, basically diving into her book bag in a panic looking for something.

...Marinette.

Pouting slightly, Adrien lamented the fact that he never got a chance to sit with her. Alya wasn't in this course either, so… it seemed fitting to attempt that. Unfortunately, the bluenette couldn't seem to function around him, well noticed by the teacher. Taking that into account with the distracted stares of other classmates who knew of his celebrity status and the sometimes frustrating aggression that came of seeing Marinette closer to him than they were… She ultimately abstained from sitting next to him in conscience of his comfort.

He pretended it was alright but he wished a friend would sit next to him. The young man had other classes though, plenty of them with friends, Nino included.

Furrowing his brow and focusing his gaze, he wondered a bit late in passing what had Marinette so hyped up. She was clumsy and a bit frazzled… but never this much so.

"Marinette? Are you okay?" the teacher asked in concern, noticing her mood as well.

She froze, sitting down and hanging her head in defeat as she replied, "I uh… just lost something. I'll find it later."

_Lost something? _Adrien's mind repeated in question. He looked down at the sketchbook, knowing she had a penchant for drawing things out. _Nah… it couldn't be. _

He flipped open the cover and saw MDC written inside the front cover, followed by notes and the beginnings of ramblings about things concerning the depictions that were next to them.

He sighed in resignation of the inevitable conclusion, thinking, _Of course it is._

With an occasional glance towards the rest of the class now and then, the blonde boy tilted the book up, keeping any onlookers from seeing the contents.

Her notes and sketches were interesting, garnering a new level of intrigue with Marinette. He didn't even think she would have these interests. A maelstrom of questions came to the surface.

How long had she been interested? What was the extent of her knowledge? Could he converse with her about this?

Adrien then came to a guilty conclusion. This wasn't his secret to know. He should have stopped as soon as he figured out this was Marinette's book. Now, he was just invading her privacy.

Closing the book, he figured he would return the book as soon as class ended.

Wait… this felt like a very bad idea. If he did that, then she might automatically assume he read it, which he did… but if she was angry or hurt by that intrusion of privacy… it could fracture their friendship beyond repair.

Maybe… he could find another way.

Stuffing the book back into his own bag, Adrien tried unsuccessfully to refocus back on class.

His mind became a muddled mess of ideas and such to somehow fix this.

After an entire class, plus thinking throughout all his subsequent ones, the most solid… and potentially stupid… plan that he could come up with… was transforming as Cat Noir and sneaking into her place to place the book amongst her things. Maybe she would find it and figure it was misplaced.

"Hey bud," came the smooth voice of Nino next to him, having left his own course, jarring the blonde from his reverie. Along with that mention, came a brisk slap to the back. "You look about as lost as my brother in his games. Something on your mind?"

"More like in it and trying to claw its way out…" Adrien groggily admitted.

With an eyebrow arching at the mention, his friend continued in inquiry, "Want to elaborate?"

"Not really," the young blonde answered bashfully. "I still haven't quite figured out what it is myself. You ever find out something you probably shouldn't have… and don't know how to deal with it?"

Nino's eyes widened considerably, a broken grin lining his face as he averted his gaze, relaying, "Yeah… sorta." Recollecting himself, the darker skinned boy leaned in and whispered, "Is this about… Marinette?"

It was the blonde's turn to go wide eyed, eliciting a smug grin from Nino, whom crossed his arms and gave him a 'Gotcha!' look.

"Finally see her as more than 'Just a friend'?" he teased. The young man with green eyes rolled said eyes, tired of this line of reasoning concerning her.

"You know very well where my heart lies," Adrien remarked with a chastening tone towards his friend.

"And I haven't been able to understand it, dude," Nino explained. "You don't really see her, talk to her, or have any meetings I know of with Ladybug. Why all the torch holding for her?"

The blonde sighed, tired of having to detail this again, choosing to instead remain silent. His friend let loose a breath as well, choosing to drop the subject for now.

After some hearty goodbyes and going to fencing practice, the Gorilla drove Adrien home, whereas he made a clear path to his room and closed the door.

Plagg was out of his pocket in that very instant, complaining, "I'm not doing it."

"You don't even know what I've been thinking," the boy griped in turn.

"You've been mumbling all day," the kwami clarified. "Not much sense in there, mind you, but I got the gist of it. You plan to break into Pigtail's room and stash the book."

"Why not?" Adrien evenly asked, dropping all pretense at denial. "I don't see any reason you would care to NOT do it."

Holding his stern gaze, the two stared at one another for several seconds before the young man continued in debate, "Two wheels of camembert and no complaints."

"Done."

"Plagg, Claws out!"

0000000

"I'm exhausted…" Marinette groaned, falling in a heap on the couch in her living room. Her face became buried in a soft pillow, mind all strung out from excessive worry and burdens, as per the usual.

Besides losing her little notebook of bondage notes and sketches of rope methods, of which she was drawing it to get a feel for how it works and venting her imaginings on paper, the bluenette was mired in paperwork and duties.

Between classes, while already frazzled from losing her book, needing to borrow notes from classmates or Alya, her duties as class president, some after school obligations, along with being pestered by Alya for reasons she completely spaced on… the young woman was able to finally make her way home.

Her parents were ending the day in the bakery below, giving her time to herself that she would certainly appreciate.

"What am I gonna do, Tikki?" she groaned. "I don't know where my book went."

"The one time you don't forget to sign something and it's probably the one thing you should have left anonymous for exactly this reason," the kwami chastised her.

"It was just initials," Marinette defended meekly.

Before Tikki could rebuke her logic with something else cynical, a soft thump and creak sounded from above, alerting both kwami and girl. It was almost imperceptible, though not escaping both of their heightened senses. Being a miraculous user for as many years as she had offered a few bleeding effects from it into her normal life. Some were good and some a bit irritating, but enhanced hearing and sight were a staple from most miraculous, if what Tikki said was correct.

Looking to her floating friend, the bluenette darted upstairs, wondering what could be causing that sound. It could have been something dropping but the sound wasn't as simple as a thump. She'd heard it all too often, being indicative of footsteps, stepping lightly and slowly.

Reaching the trapdoor to her room, the young woman burst upwards, ready to fight, though it only occurred to her upon bursting through that it could have been a burglar or something more dangerous to her in her civilian form.

What she saw definitely caused her confusion.

"Cat?" came her stunned voice, matched by fury in the coming seconds by the fact he was intruding into her room, a paw putting something into a drawer of her desk. "What do you think…" she began to shout, seeing the object in his claws, all fury and confusion turning to morbid shame.

Cat Noir looked mortified and frightened beyond all belief, pulling back in his fright and dropping the book.

Before she could say anything else, no matter the volume, he was in front of her in a flash and tugging her away from the trapdoor, closing it swiftly and keeping a hand over her mouth.

"Marinette," he called in a whisper, eyes darting everywhere. "Please please please don't yell or scream. I promise there is an explanation."

Eyes burning in anger once again, she nodded reluctantly, knowing deep down that he wouldn't be arbitrarily in her room for some malicious purpose. He would get the benefit of the doubt… and a stern lecture after he finished explaining.

Once he let her go, she reached out and snatched her black sketchbook from, keeping it closed and close to her chest.

"Why? Now."

The black clad hero stepped back and kept his hands in full view, detailing quickly and haphazardly, "I'm sorry… I found it. I was exploring this morning and saw you drop it as you entered school. I couldn't just give it back as I was… so was gonna give it to you later… but then…"

"You looked inside," she told him, not even bothering to make it seem like a question. "Otherwise, you could have found any excuse to give it back."

"Y-yes…" he mumbled with a slight blush. Marinette softened her gaze at seeing his shame and guilt, clearly causing a foggy haze in his cat-like green eyes. "I wasn't sure if it was really you at first, so I looked… then I wondered how to give it back… but all sorts of…" Cat paused, taking a breath. "You know what… I'll bet you already know all the reasons I feared simply giving it back, especially in public. I thought if I snuck it into your room… you would just write it off and let it go."

"So… you broke into my room?" she voiced bluntly. The blonde flinched.

"I… yes… I didn't want to cause you any embarrassment, since you might have feared judgement or whatever."

"I guess I can accept that…" Marinette told him softly, averting her gaze and sitting on her chaise. "But now someone has seen it… I feel so stupid for bringing it to school."

"Look, I'm not judging!" Cat Noir vented out in a rush. "In fact… I find it interesting."

"What?" the bluenette squeaked out, truly stunned by the admission.

"It's… I've…" he began, trying to find the right words. "A few ish weeks ago, I became quite interested in the subject myself… after… ahem… an event."

The young girl blushed profusely, feeling like she knew the source of his interest, herself remembering what it had sparked within her as well.

The blonde hero continued in question, "Did you… want to talk about it?"

Hugging the book to her chest a bit tighter, Marinette contemplated the offer. It was nice to have someone flesh and blood in front of her to potentially talk to about this, but he was her partner as a superhero. It felt like an unfair advantage in his favor that he would know her interest but she couldn't tie his interest to his civilian identity.

Taking the dive, she started where she felt most comfortable, "It's not really a sexual interest. I just… it's such a intriguing culture." Her bluebell eyes locked with his emerald ones, before averting at the sincere and innocent stare he held with her.

"I suppose it is," he agreed. "There are some things about it that seem quite respectful about it. Maybe even stress relieving."

"Ha! I could use stress relieving," Marinette laughed, leaning back. Her body stiffened, realizing too late the implication of her mention. Almost as if her neck was a creaky hinge, the bluenette's head turned slowly towards the cat hero.

She was expecting that cheshire grin and devious glint in his eyes, though what actually greeted her was quite shocking.

His hand was on the back of his neck, eyes downcast and cheeks aflame with a blush that made her wonder if she looked like that sometimes.

"So…" he barely whispered, "you're interested in that sort of thing for stress relief?"

It was her turn to blush, face feeling like it would burn away with the heat permeating it now as she thought over what to reply with.

"I could help if you want," Cat Noir continued, his eyes tentatively looking into hers once more. "Stress relief I mean… only if you want of course."

"Um, well,… what would we do though?" Marinette tried to deflect in earnest. For some reason, she wasn't outright opposed to the idea, though she was way too fearful to say yes.

The blonde reached for her book, whereas the bluenette numbly looked down at it and let him slip it gently from her grip. She reached out for it, but bit her lip in restraint and let the young man peruse it.

All that could be heard for a minute or two was the turn of a page, made much louder by the lack of any other sounds.

With each turn of such a page, Marinette felt this grip on her heart grow tighter and tighter, as if judgment upon her might become more stern with each thing that Cat saw of her embarrassing hobby.

With the occasional tepid glance up at him, she saw his face was quite curious and entranced. It somehow made her more relaxed, seeing his genuine interest.

Turning the sketchbook back towards her, he pointed and spoke, "These things you wrote or sketched here… they can be done without turning anything sexual. It could become a means of stress relief. Er… at least if that's the side you want to be on."

"You mean a Sub?" the girl clarified. He nodded. "I guess that would be me…"

"What a coincidence," Cat called out proudly. "I'm a Dom. At least, that's how I see myself."

That surprised Marinette. He was usually the 'go with the flow' type of person, typically taking after Ladybug's lead.

_Maybe, _the bluenette began to muse, _he's dealing the opposite problem as me. I'm dealing with too much decision making and responsibility on my shoulders, with the desire to shuck that away to let someone else take the reigns, figuratively speaking. Cat though… maybe he's lacked any sort of ability or freedom to make decisions and desires to be in control of something. _

Now that she thought about it, it made some twisted sense. Her partner frequently complained about his strict schedule and overbearing authority figures in his life. At her admonishment early on, he learned to be careful about names and details, keeping it ambiguous, but she understood what he meant.

"Does that mean you're offering to be my Dom in this non-sexual… thing?" she inquired curiously.

Cat Noir seemed taken aback, finally taking into consideration what he was asking.

"I… uh… yeah."

"What about Ladybug?" Marinette's question slipped out before she could stop herself. "Wouldn't you rather do this with her?"

"I don't think I could trust myself like that around her…" the blonde hero answered sincerely and a little solemnly. "If I could get that close to her… I don't think I could keep it platonic."

His eyes seemed a bit pained now, lips stiff and ears flattened in contemplation.

A question was at the tip of her tongue, mouth parting slowly to voice it…

...but she clamped down on that desire and bit her lip.

"I would be glad to be your Sub," Marinette voiced softly, the words leaving her with a heat that almost felt like it could scald her throat on the way out. She had to cover her mouth after saying it. It wasn't only because she was woefully embarrassed… but also because the bluenette was forcing herself to not backtrack on those words.

Cat Noir appeared wholly taken aback by her agreement to this.

"Why?" he asked simply. "Why did you agree so easily?" His head tilted in curiosity, ears perked up and trained on her.

"I… I trust you," she replied in a fading tone.

Taking deep breaths in the following silence, the young woman tried to calm herself, unsure how to further address her new BDSM companion. It was exhilarating… yet frightening.

Cat Noir would be giving her commands, tying her up, imposing his own will upon her, and potentially taking all her stress and choice away in such acts. Maybe everything wouldn't be as she imagined, but if an accident such as what happened before could offer the feeling it did… she could only wonder at how it would feel if the events were on purpose. Would she have felt better? More relaxed?

"When should I come next then? And what should I bring?" the black clad boy questioned her, tone more inquisitive than embarrassed. Marinette felt like a boiling mess of emotions inside, only feeling infuriated by his innocent approach to this. She couldn't blame him, as he did seem the sheltered type.

An idea came to the forefront of her mind, clapping her hands together as she looked around her room for paper and pen. It was easy enough to find it, since she sketched all too often.

Writing a few details down, she shoved a small note his way, remarking, "This is a username to an app that can be downloaded to your phone. It's not linked to your phone number and acts like an email. We can send messages back and forth without worrying about compromising your identity."

Taking the piece of paper, Cat Noir shoved the item in his suit pocket.

"I'll be sure to do as much," he told her. "Oddly enough, Ladybug and I use a similar method to talk outside our suits."

"You mean you haven't just exchanged numbers?" she feigned asking, knowing full well about everything.

"Nah… too much risk in recognizing each other's respective numbers," Cat defended weakly, sounding mildly disappointed that he had to provide that reasoning. It was certainly no secret to her that he was unhappy with the secret identity problem. Over two years as heroes and he complained less about it, though she could see the look in his eyes whenever it was discussed or brought up.

Adrien had a similar look when he was called away from his friends that he looked forward to hanging out with, her included. It was a lonely look and one she hated seeing.

Her own mood took a slight downturn at the thought of her still current crush. Over two years and she still had troubles trying to confess to him. There were a few almost events but nothing that stuck or that she followed through with. It wasn't Adrien's fault. Oblivious as he was, it was her prerogative to clarify herself, instead of his responsibility to see into her head. As much as that would simplify things… Marinette knew she needed to work on getting over her trepidations concerning telling him.

"I think this might help me with that too…" she mumbled aloud.

Cat perked up, saying, "With what?"

The bluenette stiffened, mouth parting slightly as she realized she said that out loud.

"Huh? I uh…" the girl hummed, rubbing her shoulder with an arm crossed over her chest. "I thought about how this might get me to… remain calmer around Ad… my crush."

"Oh?" the black clad cat hero purred in a teasing tone. "The princess has a prince she wants to woo?"

His eyebrows wiggled in a manner that only annoyed her, though it did also bring a spark of humor to her mood that felt a but suffocated by tension.

"I suppose you could say that…" Marinette offered in answer with a slight shrug.

"Who might the lucky man be?" Cat questioned further, resting his chin in his hands.

She blushed, not entirely willing to tell him. Instead she chose to deflect.

"It's not you again, if that's what you're implying," the young woman sassed with a flick of his bell.

A cheeky grin spread over Cat's face, clearly liking the strange, affectionate gesture.

While they had talked on occasion, their meetings as Cat Noir and Marinette were fewer than one might have expected of such strange familiarity. She could let the sass out around him and he would fire back in kind without needing to feel rushed by an akuma or a timer after his powers were used. To the bluenette, it was oddly refreshing and she wanted to experience it more. It felt like this long forgotten feeling, akin to when she would sneak junk food up to her room as a little kid and read a book in her closet with a flashlight. Not exactly forbidden… but it was something that was all her own.

Not that Cat was hers but the lack of filter between the two was nice.

Her reverie was interrupted by the shuffling sounds of footsteps below, warning Marinette of her parents having properly closed up and likely getting dinner or sitting in the living room below.

Cat obviously heard it too, his ears swiveling towards the sounds and twitching.

"Uh… youuuu should probably go for now," the girl slowly warned him in a hushed tone. "Beloved superhero or not… my parents will likely do their best to skin you alive if they find out you're in here without permission."

"I agree…" the blonde spoke, smiling softly and shuffling to his feet. "Sorry about breaking in… by the way."

"I forgive you," Marinette gently voiced to him. "It would have been terrible if anyone else found that."

With a nod, Cat Noir leapt with grace to her bed and through the trapdoor, the bluenette letting out a slow sigh upon him leaving. She wasn't exactly relieved he left, but more nervous about what she agreed to. She needed some time alone to think it over and figure out if she was going to follow through.

0000000

Cat Noir landed with grace and a light step into his room, transformation giving way to Adrien, with his kwami zipping away, maniacal laughter echoing in the big room.

"Prey tell… what's so funny, Plagg?" the blonde boy questioned with an unamused tone, though his smile was quite evident and couldn't be quashed so easily.

"You!" he called out, resuming his chittering. "You told her you found the book… but all it takes is one mention of someone witnessing you having picked up that book to out you as your superhero alter."

Adrien paled, feeling his knees go weak. His mind blanked for a moment as the information sank in.

"I'm an idiot…" he murmured.

"I've been saying that for years," Plagg supplied, chowing down noisily on his cheese.

Swallowing and belching in a grotesque manner that sent an echo through the large room, the floating creature offered a bit of solace.

"It's not that terrible. What random person is gonna tell her about a little black book that you didn't know belonged to her? Worst comes to worst… you lie."

Adrien groaned and face planted into his bed. He knew the kwami was right, though he could have led with that info. The blonde rolled his eyes as he assumed that Plagg simply wanted to mess with him.

At least this thing with Marinette might be a change of pace he needed.

* * *

**Gotta admit that I enjoy writing this. **

**I hope to keep everyone true to their character though obviously, this is fanfiction. My intentions may bleed their characteristics towards things that won't make sense to some others. Either way, I will try not to let that happen by intention. XD **

**I look forward to your continued interest and value all of your input. **

**REVIEWS!: **

**Guest: Thank you so much for your kind and complementary words! I'm glad it strikes you as much. Just as well, one chapter and you say that? I hope to live up to that then. XD **

**PizzaFoxx: Thank you! I love some of the more primal and emotional aspects of the culture, exempt from direct sexual context. Dont get me wrong, I like that as well but my focus is probably on 20 percent on the sexual aspects. **

**Nevertheless, I'm glad to garner your genuine interest! **

**Qoheleth: I want to say thank you for your criticism, but I think you were missing part of the point. This isnt a fetish fic. This first chapter was an exploration of the mentality of why some people like this stuff and the self discovery one mentally might go through when they realize what they think of this. I try to use descriptive summations to try relaying that to some who may not get it outright, as just telling you, It's a BDSM thing, is woefully insufficient. **

**However, I value your input and hope to change your mind about the content, should you continue to read it. **

**AmourVixen23: I'm really glad you like it. and thank you for the complement. **

**DONE! **

**See you guys in the next update! **

**Until next time, It's been a hustle, Sweethearts! **


	3. Beginning's of a Bond

**Yay! Another chapter release! **

**Just some forewarning though, these three chapters are basically the buildup that I hope sets the "Platonic" mood i'm shooting for between Cat and Marinette. I made sure not to post until I completed all three. So following chapters might be a bit slower coming out. I have three stories (My max for updating and workload) that need balanced attention. Be assured I will be working to give consistent updates, but in case you felt the fourth chapter took a while, there's my preemptive explanation as to why. XD**

**Onwards! I'm still hoping for interest in my Paw tree on. You know what i mean. the site wont let that word get posted. I'm diverging from my initial interest in making exclusive or early access thing, as I don't have the following to justify that. My name on there is the same as my author name, in case any wanted to support me. My current goal with the proceeds is to support a couple artist friends who need the money. **

**Anyways! Read, fav, follow, review, and enjoy! My Estranged Eat of the day to make you cringe with is a salami, banana, and soy sauce sandwich. Ew ew and yuck. XD if you like that though... I bow to your iron stomach lining. Kudos. **

* * *

For the next week, Cat Noir and Marinette messaged through the app she directed him to. It was supremely nifty, being that he could use an email he kept secret from everyone to sign up then give himself a profile he could enjoy while not compromising his identity.

Though embarrassing at first, the duo slowly grew comfortable enough to exchange their ideas and set up 'rules'. As much as they didn't want to limit themselves, rules were needed to establish how things would proceed and not go too far.

UnluckyCat: What happens if we try this… and someone comes in?

PrincessPink: What do you mean? I have a lock on my door.

UnluckyCat: Yeah… but you wouldn't be able to answer it or stop them from breaking in if you're… tied up.

PrincessPink: We could resort to using your Cataclysm on any bindings if it gets too close to call.

UnluckyCat: I suppose. Especially since it could take awhile to undo whatever restraints you might have.

PP: Yep

UC: Are we crazy? Doing this I mean.

PP: Probably.

UC: Right. Haha.

PP: Having second thoughts?

UC: Just reservations about whether it's ok…

PP:I gave you my consent. You need more than that?

UC: Lol. It's not entirely that, though I'm grateful to have that. From everything I've read and looked at, consent is the biggest taboo you don't cross or break. It's one of those things that violating gets you shunned and rejected by the community. (Not the fifty shades stuff)

PP: I get that. And yea. Reading up on this myself has made fifty shades feel like some sort of gross misconception of what I want to believe BDSM is about.

UC: a lot of it seems respectful and actually wholesome. Like a partnership.

PP: That sounds true. Like you and Ladybug?

UC: I can't say that's wrong. We trust each other and respect one another. We know one another well, even if we can't share personal stories much. There's this wordless bond between us that just feels instinctual to believe in and give in to.

UC: Thanks… I feel better about this now.

PP: You never did elaborate on what was wrong.

UC: I guess I don't want to take advantage of you with this.

PP: Wasn't I the one who wanted this?

PP: Not like that…

UC: Haha. I know what you mean.

UC: But I need this too. My issue is that I don't want this to get in the way of any relationship you might have.

PP: I have a crush, but i'm too shy to talk to them, much less tell them how I feel. I guess I figured this might help me get past that barrier too.

UC: I see

UC: So, we're doing this next weekend?

PP: As long as the cat doesn't get cold feet.

UC: Great! I'll take care of getting what we need.

PP: Are you sure? I don't want to put that all on you?

UC: I'm your Dom now aren't I? It's my responsibility to take care of you.

PP: Ah! One more thing.

UC: Uh… yes?

PP: I'm not calling you Sir. Or Daddy. Just… don't.

UC: Ew… no. Cat is fine. I think that's mostly for… more intimate partners anyways.

PP: Lol. You might be right. To be honest, I've had a rather one-sided approach to looking all this stuff up. Mainly just the Sub stuff.

UC: gotcha. I'll talk to you later. I have to get some sleep.

PP: Night Kitty.

UC: Night Princess.

Adrien flopped back on his bed, putting his phone down. Contrary to the neutral tone of text, his body was flushed and heart hammering in his ears. It took a lot out of him to say a lot of that. To Marinette, he might be Cat Noir, but he still had to see her when she didn't even know it was him.

He knew everything was supposed to be platonic, but he wondered if he leapt head first into shark infested waters that bordered what he was doing dangerously close to a level of intimacy that could confuse one or both of their hearts.

No… he was loyal to Ladybug and Marinette had just said she was attached to someone else.

As Adrien, he was supposed to be clueless of that fact, but moments with her as Cat had revealed the bare inklings that she was interested in someone who seemed too far off for her. Or… at least that's how she seemed to see it, from her occasional musings.

It was difficult to get a clear read on that girl though. She was a class all her own.

The blonde smiled, honestly feeling better about this. She needed stress relief… and he wanted to indulge in this trust and power over someone else. It was a gift he felt he wasn't afforded elsewhere.

His schedule was set, classes were predetermined, meals restricted, free time calculated down to the minute, and any deviance from what was expected of him became paramount to outright rebellion. Sure, he was technically safe, secure, rich, and well provided in all aspects many coveted… but he would take being poor and free over rich and stifled any day. The friends he knew with far less to their name seemed to have so much more love and happiness in their lives than those like him… and when he thought about it… Chloe.

Chloe may have been a very vain and abrasive girl, overly entitled with her attitude, but even he had a hard time doing what Marinette so easily did… getting her and her mother on a similar wavelength.

Snapping his mind from its wanderings, the young man began to run through his mind on how to acquire what he wanted. It would be easy enough to order everything, seeing as he had a fake account with a whole favorites list to save what he wished to get, but the delivery would be difficult.

"Hey Plagg?" Adrien called out.

"Ugh… don't bother me if it's about Pigtails again," the kwami griped upon hearing his name. "I'm not dealing with any of that unless I have to. And as far as I'm concerned… I only have to when I transform you."

"Fine… but I just want a little advice about getting things I don't want my father or Nathalie finding."

"Haaaaa…." the creature sighed. "Why don't you just do the thing you do when you order mass quantities of cheese for me? You have the mailbox or something."

The blonde's mouth formed a silent 'Oh' in response. He had completely forgotten about that. Well… not entirely. It just didn't occur to him that it could serve this purpose.

With a newfound energy, Adrien picked up his phone, using the app for the account he had for buying Plagg's cheese when he asked for ridiculous quantities, which was all too often.

Using a third party payment system, he was able to use the P.O. box as a delivery location, ordering everything he needed from a few select sites, getting everything on rush order or express shipping. Luckily, he was able to find local places within the country, so most of it would arrive quite quickly.

The blonde's hands shook from anticipation, realizing the finality of having bought all that stuff. He would have to discreetly pick it up and open everything in private… which wasn't at the house.

In the time as Cat Noir, he had picked out a few places that he set up little bolt holes for when he wanted privacy. Sometimes it was to read a book or play games on handheld consoles, and others it was to simply relax and waste time till his next scheduled thing. The places consisted of a variety of places. An abandoned building, disused construction locations, or even a few rooftop shacks that had long since lacked human usage.

He didn't have that much time to use those locations as often as he wished, but that made each attempt or actual visit feel that much more well rewarded and special.

Taking a deep breath, the young man now had to wait patiently. Though he had plenty to do, he felt this apprehensive excitement would be invigorating his very essence for days to come.

To his credit and optimism, it was near the end of the week, with their first planned 'event' being on Saturday. It was Wednesday night now. He could wait that long, right?

Feeling the bubbling heat of his worry and trepidation rise from within, Adrien groaned at contemplating the wait.

0000000

The days passed by rather quickly for Marinette, both nervously anticipating their assigned 'event', which she wanted to find a better name for, as well as excitedly looking forward to it.

Given that her parents were going to be out for the weekend, celebrating an end to a rather large catering order, she would be free to entertain a guest. The order had taken up a vast majority of their waking hours the past week, affording her less scrutiny when she talked to Cat or looked up more information in private about BDSM.

Despite her state, one efficacious benefit was that she was too distracted to be a gooey mess in front of Adrien, though Alya seemed to make it a point to mention when he appeared to be staring at her, partially backtracking her ability to remain steady on her feet.

From their subsequent chats, Cat Noir was unable to come around until later that night, making the bluenette's Saturday rather boring and overly slow in progress for anything she tried to do. Anxious or not, she needed her partner to show up already.

So far, she had gone through trying to finish about three sketches for dresses, baking about two dozen cookies she wouldn't eat, though Tikki was more than happy to oblige taking care of them, and finally resigning herself to watching the sun set outside the window.

It was almost hypnotic, allowing her to think more on the past couple weeks as Ladybug with her partner, instead of impatiently becoming a jittery mess as Marinette. If she was honest, their exchanges felt rather glossed over lately, as if Cat was feeling distanced from her. She couldn't ascertain whether it was because he felt guilty of his newfound affinity for bondage because of their incident, or he was simply embarrassed by it. He could have also been distracted, but he seemed so energetic in their chats, that she had a hard time assuming it wouldn't be the same around her superhero self.

The young woman was in such a preoccupied state, that she became quite panicked when she heard the telltale landing, almost imperceptible, of her black clad partner. Tripping over her own feet, Marinette rushed up to the trap door and jarred it open, slowing down just in time not to slam it into the roof.

Her gaze wandered and met his stunned face, clearly not expecting the hasty reception to his arrival.

She saw the blonde's face turn from shock to snark as he rested a hand on a hip, cocking it to the side.

"Eager one, aren't you?" the hero teased her with a lopsided smirk.

The bluenette drew a hand to her chest, instantly flushing at his insinuation, stuttering, "Sh-shut up! You're late!"

Bending down to pick up a duffel bag at his feet, Cat simply laughed, gently walking closer.

"I'm actually early," he remarked. "I thought I would be busier with…. Something… but I was able to finish up and get here."

Cat Noir had almost mentioned a photoshoot he was at, to which they were using the setting sun to their advantage. With the venue that was reserved, the sun set earlier behind a building that was a few stories tall. That meant the time of sunset for the shoot was earlier, which was accounted for by the staff, though Adrien didn't have his hopes up until told otherwise.

The young girl retreated back into the trap door, raising a hand to usher him inside. The blonde hero followed as calmly as he could, not wanting to betray his own eager spirit.

Climbing down her bed and into the main space of the room, both kneeled quietly as Cat clutched the duffel protectively, almost as if releasing it would unleash some Pandora's box level atrocities.

She giggled slightly, a blush tainting her cheeks as she pointed to the blonde and called to him, "You can put that down, you know? We… sorta need it if you still want to do this." The last line was spoken with her voice becoming more of a whisper, tone losing its confidence and sounding more like a question than chastisement.

"O-oh!" the superhero choked out. "Right. Right."

It settled her nerves a bit to see that Cat was apparently just as apprehensive about this as she was, with Marinette smiling softly as the boy began to unzip the duffle, setting it between them.

"Did you want me to get everything out?" he asked earnestly. "I don't want to freak you out."

"Why would I be freaked out by you getting the stuff we agreed upon out of the bag?" she fired back, though not as confidently as she would have liked.

The blonde shrugged and reached inside, to which the bluenette sucked in a small breath and bit her lower lip, knees pressing together as she braced herself.

This was really happening. Her mind was filled both with excitement that it was finally happening and trepidation that she had to be crazy to agree to this.

Cat Noir's claws gently pulled out several items, of which were rope, cuffs, a blindfold, and earmuffs. Marinette's hands rested on her thighs, clenching slightly at seeing each item. Though only being held in front of her, the weight of reality started to feel all that much more crushing. Her breath became short rasps and heart pounded powerfully within her own ears. Goodness knows what face she was making as he looked up at her, visibly gulping.

The last thing he pulled out was a blanket, large and soft.

"Um… why the blanket?" she dared to ask, now unable to look into his eyes. It was probably for the best, as Cat Noir felt self conscious of the grin he wore, relishing in the subdued state of his new partner. The cat-like eyes he had likely only added to the predatory surge within him, slits dilated as he focused on her.

"It's for you to rest on while… restrained," the blonde explained. Seeing her eyes look over to the chaise, as well as up to the bed, he continued, "Bad idea for any of that. If you get into a panic, or simply roll around, I can't have you falling off something else."

"That makes sense," she half-heartedly replied, still distracted by the items in front of her. The young woman also noticed something else about the duffel. It looked stuffed full of items, but Cat only pulled out what she surmised was a little over half the contents. "So… what else is in there?"

"Just a couple other things you don't need to worry about right now," he detailed simply, reaching out to rest a hand on her clenched fists. "I just wanted to keep it all together."

"O-ok…" Marinette whispered. "What do you need from me?"

"Well firstly," Cat began, standing up and padding quietly behind her, his tone becoming lower, "I want you to touch those things. You seem tense about this, which I can't say is wrong, but you should learn to accept that these things will be used on you. Examine them. Touch them. Familiarize yourself with them."

"Sure…" the girl agreed in a haze, stretching a shaky hand out to grab the rope first. It seemed the most threatening thing in her eyes, if she were to compare it to the other things. She expected it to be a bit rough and frayed, as her experience with rope was usually playground quality stuff or twine. This stuff felt much better. It was smooth and had a bit of give to it, almost like it had a bit stretch to it, but far from elastic. She smiled as she noticed the color, being red. "It's soft."

"Keep going…" he goaded her. They hadn't even started yet and Cat seemed to be becoming more confident in the role of dominant, voice steady and clear, even if low. It sent a few shivers through the young girl, realizing just how vulnerable he made her feel in this circumstance. She wanted to turn and face him, look into his eyes, but she faced forward, reaching for another item.

The cuffs, made of a traditional brown leather, with a few metal rings on it, was slightly cold at first, but Marinette could feel the smoothness of it, made for comfort. With more ease, she picked up the blindfold. It was likely the more bland and simplistic item of the group, being just the same as any old sleeping mask. The last item seemed normal, though it was made slim and soft, only meant to cover the ears for noise cancelling, not warmth or audio input.

The bluenette was about to ask what she should do next, when his hand rested on her shoulder, her peripheral catching the downward stare as he asked her, "Did you do as I mentioned?"

She shrank into herself but nodded.

They had discussed that doing this with fitted clothes would be best, to which Marinette felt quite self conscious being dressed in. Currently, she had leggings on, as well as a fitted shirt. It was beneath her loose long sleeve and sweatpants.

"Then make yourself comfortable and lie down after," her partner firmly spoke. She did as she was demanded, getting up and readying to strip the excess garments…

...pausing when she noticed Cat Noir perched on her chaise, green eyes piercing into her with a stunning energy. The young woman immediately looked down, unable to meet his gaze.

"Can you… look away while I do this?" she entreated him, met only with silence.

Choosing to look at him again, he seemed serene and unmoving, having either not registered what she inquired… or simply ignoring it. The bluenette pouted slightly, opening her mouth to speak again…

"You aren't stipping naked," he pointed out, "so why does it matter?"

She was debating that herself. As Ladybug, she traverses the city in a tight fitting, yet free moving, superpowered magical suit. Being dressed in form fitting wear shouldn't make her feel this… exposed… by comparison.

"We can stop," the blonde's voice cautiously voiced, devoid of tone. "Because I will be tying you up, handling your limbs and body to accomplish what we needed to do. You will be blindfolded and I will see you in that for as long as our session is… and if you can't take this… you won't be able to do that either."

Clutching the front of her long sleeve in her hands, the blue-eyed girl realized he was right. It was annoying but he was right.

Pursing her lips and clenching her eyes shut, imagining that if she couldn't witness his eyes on her, maybe it would make this easier. Her hands quickly stripped the sweatpants and loose shirt, revealing the more form hugging layer underneath.

With the clothes successfully discarded randomly, Marinette chanced opening her eyes. She was wrong. It didn't make it easier. Cat's curious eyes were locked onto her, whereas she felt exposed and judged under his eyes. She wanted to react as Ladybug normally would, but bit her tongue in restraint, knowing this comes with their arrangement.

Looking down, everything she viewed of herself felt not quite right. The bluenette knew she wasn't unhealthy or wrongly proportioned, but… in this instant… her confidence was dwindling and every curve, every feature, was something to feel ashamed of.

Seeing that she was done, the black clad hero stood up, the height difference feeling so much more with how small she felt before him, and told her, "Lie down. On your back."

Whether because his tone was becoming more fluid to take direction from, or due to a waning resistance to being anxious about something they agreed to, Marinette did as she was told. There was a tingling sensation to it all that was making her feel a bit relaxed. Someone else was taking control. Not only of a simple decision… but of her.

The blonde grabbed the rope and closed in, gripping one of her legs and lifting it, lightly massaging her thigh. He did mention he might do this, especially if he noticed her nervous tension. To his credit, it worked at bleeding away the stiffness plaguing her, allowing him to more easily manipulate her limbs to begin tying her up.

For a moment, and only a brief moment, her mind had this flashing sting of white hot pain, like waking up from a feeling like one is falling. The young girl knew it was just the first tight binding of Cat's ropes on her thighs, doing something she wasn't used to and freaking her out for a second.

She sighed, a relaxing feeling following her strife and telling her to lie back and accept it. Draping an arm over her eyes, the bluenette kept her breathing steady as her partner bound her leg, calf flush against her thigh. He moved onto the other leg, giving it the same treatment from the leftover rope of her other bound leg.

Minutes in silence passed, the bluenette breathing slowly and surely, focusing on letting Cat take the reigns. The air felt slightly chilled, making her all the more thankful that she put on socks. Otherwise, this endeavor could have been far more uncomfortable. She also made sure to keep herself from eating or drinking too much, as she planned to be busy for a while.

"Turn over," the blonde commanded, helping her as she twisted herself around, now belly down on the blanket. It was soft and very comfortable, distracting her from the cuffs being applied to her wrists. Cat was attaching them together with a clasp between the two behind her back. As it clicked into place, Marinette let out a small gasp, a pervasive tingle coursing through her body.

The young woman was completely restrained now. All that was left was the blindfold and earmuffs.

The two had come up with the stress relief method of sensory deprivation, whereas the bluenette would spend a determinate amount of time, that the black clad superhero would keep track of, completely deprived of sight, sound, and movement. Her mouth would be the only thing free, allowing her to call out 'Stop' or any such distress in general.

Though daunting at first to think about, Marinette began to think about it more like daydreaming with no real obligations. She could have spent today doing whatever restful things she wanted, but there would always be the fear 'that it would end when tomorrow comes' sort of mentality. Maybe this could clear her mind entirely.

No sooner than she thought that, than Cat Noir slipped the blindfold over her head. All she had left was hearing, the girl trembling as she both feared and ached to feel that.

"I'm starting the timer as soon as I put the earmuffs on," he whispered into her ear, thusly placing the earwear upon her. No light, no sound, and no ability to move beyond slight shimmies and shuffles of her bound limbs.

Nothing.

There was nothing around her. Just the feeling of the soft blanket at her cheek. The brush of a small shift in the air on any exposed flesh. There was just the emptiness.

The other thing she noticed is that she couldn't tell the passage of time well. Maybe she could count the seconds, but Cat and her agreed on a ninety minute time limit. Seconds bled into minutes as Marinette contemplated the usefulness of even thinking. There were worries she had, obligations to prepare for, yet it was easier than she thought to slip into the mindset of when she as Ladybug got caught up in her own yo-yo.

Her breathing slowed and body gave in. The bluenette's fingertips brushed lazily against one another, her feet shifting in slight, as well as her heart becoming more present in her ears, a slow and soft thump being the only note to the melody of almost all encompassing silence.

0000000

Cat Noir stood up and walked stealthily away, finding her chair and nearly collapsing into it, chest pounding from all the nerves trying to tear his poor heart apart.

It took so much out of him to play the dominant role as he did. The blonde had plenty of practice putting on a face as Adrien, but never really in such a commanding position before. Keeping up that persona felt invigorating and worth it, but he couldn't deny the hyperactive awareness and nerves about doing it right put him on edge. At least… that's how it felt for now.

The position of being her Dom was definitely exciting, even if currently mundane. He just had to wait now, as this was mostly about her and her needs. That was the Dom he wanted to be.

Gathering himself and sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of Marinette, he simply stared at her face.

The girl's bluebell eyes were hidden by the blindfold, though that didn't stop him from looking at her small and cute nose or her strawberry lips. To that note, her lips were parted slightly, soft but ragged breaths escaping her. It wasn't labored or strained, though he surmised she was coming to terms with her predicament.

As such, he couldn't show weakness. Only if she told him to explicitly stop would he do so. Otherwise, any groans, gripes, or pained noises were to be ignored unless it seemed medically dire.

That aside, the blonde's face began to flush red as he took in her form more casually. Before, he was utterly focused on his task to help her into this state, but now… he was noticing everything she looked so embarrassed about earlier.

The swell to her thighs, with rope biting in just enough to showcase how soft they were. The curve to her hips, wiggling and shifting on occasion. The arch of her back as well, lending a sort of tease to how flexible she could be.

Cat caught himself, mentally chastising his own thoughts for viewing her like this. He had Ladybug.

His eyes wandered in a sidelong glance as his mind supplied in broken wisdom, _Whether your heart is taken or not, there is nothing wrong with being able to acknowledge that someone can be attractive regardless. _

Instead of trying to correlate whether that was a means to alleviate his guilt or logically deconstruct his interest, the blonde decided to take a breath and watch over his quarry.

Nearly half an hour passed in silence, with Marinette shifting and making noises every now and then.

At one point, she began to make small whines, tugging at her bindings, and trembling. She seemed confused or… lonely?

Whatever the case, Cat broke his vow to remain separate from her, reaching out to rest a hand on top of her head. The bluenette shivered a little more at his contact, but then let out a raspy breath in what he hoped was relief. The upturn of her lips definitely offered him some needed relief to that end.

Choosing to do what came naturally, he began to stroke her head, lightly digging in his claws and letting her tilt into it as much as her bound body could.

Such was the rest of the time, with Cat Noir giving Marinette space when need be, as well as closing the distance when she had her lonely moments.

Eventually, the timer reached zero on a timer he brought with, whereas the blonde hero immediately tended to his Submissive, caressing her head and removing the earmuffs.

"We… we're done?" the young woman spoke, her voice distant and slurred, as if her own voice sounded far off to her sound deprived ears. The blindfold left next, Cat slipping it off gently and allowing her eyes to acclimate to even the low light conditions. Her pupils, large and reflective, dilated instantly, as she squinted and blinked a few times.

"We are," he confirmed, stroking his claws down her back. "Now try to stay still while I free you."

She laughed.

"What happened to that commanding voice you had?" the bluenette jibed lazily at him, her eyes hazy and sleepy looking.

"I think you don't need that from me right now," Cat rebuked her gently, smiling.

Marinette hummed, relaxing into the blanket once more.

With little effort, he unclasped her arms, removing the cuffs entirely and watching her arms simply flop to her sides.

"They feel like jello," her voice bubbled up in a slaphappy tone. "Is that normal?"

"Your legs will likely be like that, too," the black clad boy calmly revealed to her. She didn't seem all too concerned about it, however, simply humming in ambiguous affirmation.

True to his prediction, after a few minutes of loosening the ropes to free her, and her legs limply fell forward, dead weight to her body.

Nothing was numb, but the deprivation had a bit of an effect that wasn't permanent. With her limbs so well restricted, it was a bit like her body trying to wake up after a long night's sleep. She couldn't just jump up and be okay.

Marinette didn't seem to mind though. Cat Noir turned her on her back, wrapping the blanket over her with gentle claws, and looking at the blissfully sleepy expression she wore.

"How do you feel?" he dared to question.

"I don't know… I just know my body doesn't want to move… and I'm perfectly fine with that," the bluenette explained with a soft grin to her Dom.

He leaned in to pet her head, to which she further responded, "Mmm… keep doing that and I'm golden."

Blushing intensely, unsure how to respond to such reception of his affection, the blonde pulled her into his lap, raking his claws through her hair. Marinette hummed and sighed, cooing a bit as he moved to scratch her just behind the ears.

Cradling her thighs, he pulled them up, allowing her to take up a lazy fetal position, her head and shoulders resting in his lap on the floor.

"I'm not a cat like you," she murmured out. "What makes you think I like this?"

In answer, Cat smirked and moved his ministrations to include the back of her neck. She trembled and gasped softly against him.

"You were saying?" he teased.

"You're right. I was wrong," the bluenette breathed. "...just… don't stop… please."

"Of course… Princess," the boy hero breathlessly spoke, using both hands to pet her and scratch her, soothing her aching body.

For Marinette, though aching, her body also felt flimsy and fluffy. Though she had to admit, this was sort of the point. She suffered the discomfort and restriction of everything she had for this feeling right now. This blissful relief of having all her worries stripped from her and body released to such belated satisfaction. Her legs felt warm and toes tingled, shoulders infused with a pleasant prickling sensation and wrists weak.

The young girl actually liked being vulnerable in this moment and most certainly in this manner. Cat would never judge her for this and would never misplace her trust.

Normally, she couldn't be this way, given over to obligation as class rep and model student, or duty as Ladybug. Right now, she was just his Sub, subject to his steady hand and whims. That was all she desired for now.

0000000

Cat watched her slowly slip from sleepily relaxed… into full on sleep, her breaths slow and soft, a slight nasally tone telling him Marinette was gone.

He smiled and lifted her up, carrying her to bed and tucking her in as gently as he could.

The young boy had planned a little more aftercare to reward her, but he would have to talk it over with her later. As it was, he felt satisfied. There was a sense of fulfillment that he had been able to make her fall asleep through what he did, her body seemingly devoid of the stress he could almost feel flowing off her before.

He then gathered all the bondage stuff, excepting the blanket now swathed around Marinette, and loaded the duffel with everything. Nimbly leaping up to the loft, he lowered his lips to her forehead, pausing as he caught himself, backing away again.

"Goodnight, Princess," Cat whispered to her, leaving the same way he came in.

It was brisk and pleasantly cool outside, the moonlight taking over the cityscape and coating Paris in a pale glow.

The black cat hero took a slow breath, feeling a new sense of confidence invigorating the very fiber of his soul, leaping with a new energy into the night.

* * *

**Wooooo that was a tough one to write. **

**Not emotionally jarring or some such junk... but trying to get the mentality right. **

**And yes, this is based on personal experience and I've had a good long conversation with the other party to help understand both sides of this. **

**I am loving the reception though. I post on DeviantArt and AO3 as well, but between all three venues, it's nice to see how many people look forward to a more non-sexuallized version of this kind of thing. Don't get me wrong, as it eventually grows into that kind of thing, but I don't make it the sole focus. **

**REVIEWS!:**

**Foxy: And so does the gravy for the turkey I'm cooking. Mmmm so good. **

**Stormy Lights: I'm glad you think so and I'll do my best not to disappoint. I do love all the little things that happen too, as opposed to when someone focuses too much on overarching sexual details. **

**AmourVixen23: Darn right Plagg won't let him live it down. That little bugger is gonna be laughing about that for years. XD **

**Jade DeTour: Well I hope the event provides some good reading. XD**

**Constance Truggle: First off... Love the name! Constant Struggle? beautiful wordplay. Secondly, I do hope to give a somewhat different perspective on the culture. You're right, the fetish has it's moments, but in my experience... that's only about 10 percent of how it works when it is infused into everyday life. nicknames and sensual moments devoid of an overly lustful nature, with a primal heat behind it that's more about instinct and emotional investment in one another. **

**DONE! **

**Alrighty then... I shall be running after my lost mind, as it was last seen trying to burn down a lamppost after too many "Light on, nobody's home" jokes. Don't ask. I haven't a clue. **

**Until next time, It's been a hustle, Sweethearts! **


	4. Renewal and Reservations

**Been a while, I'll skip the apologies... blah blah. Busy, moving, internet issues, job stuff, unpacking, etc etc etc. XD **

**Let's just be excited about more story! **

**Also... just to mention... some of my overall story aspects were thought of before certain season three madness came about. So... if it clashes with your knowledge, remember this is an AU that uses the canon as a jumping off point. Given the almost infuriating details as of late... I might not be doing much referral to the canon sources. haha. Sorry. **

**Anywho! Let's jump back into it. Read, fav, follow, review, enjoy! Strange snack of today isn't so strange. I made some cake pop bites and deep fried oreos to give to my lovely girlfriend. Apparently they have come to be addicted to my treats and curse me for it while voraciously imbibing my concoctions. **

**Most should already know by now, but for those not reading the notes before, this is a mature work with no sexual themes yet but will eventually reach that point. **

* * *

Marinette practically glided up the steps to school, body light and free. The burdens and worries of the past weeks felt so much less prominent than before. She even woke up before her alarm quite promptly and surprised her parents with her wakefulness.

With how well balanced her mind felt, her body followed suit for once, without a single clumsy moment from waking... to her locker. The bluenette had practically danced around anyone that she might have usually run into.

In such a good mood, she didn't care that she had to look forward to her duties once again. The young woman had her 'escape'... yeah… that's what she'd call it. Escape. But, now that she'd had her escape, she felt ready to jump back in with renewed passion.

Walking fast, Marinette slipped in the door, nearly impacting the broad chest of someone, her eyes perked up to look at the beaming face of Adrien, to which she shone her own vibrant smile and waved at him, saying, "Hi, Adrien," before easily padding in the classroom.

The blonde was stunned for a moment, squeezing out a stuttered, "H-hey, Marinette…"

He figured it was too late, being that she was already out of earshot and getting seated. The next thing the young man knew, Alya, visiting until the warning bell, was teasing her about something that the bluenette began to blush heavily for, averting her gaze from the curious blonde.

Adrien simply smiled, glad she seemed rather spritely after having their… time… together. In fact, he was almost overjoyed at how easily she was able to greet him. Her timid nature was no small secret to them all, mostly meaning himself, Alya, Nino, as well as their group of friends, so he was glad to see an almost instant result. He wouldn't think too much on it yet, however. The young man still had no idea how she might do in front of her crush, if what he remembered hearing was correct.

A small pang of pain echoed within his chest. He frowned slightly, quickly recomposing himself with a model smile and making his way to his seat. It wasn't long before his lips began their downturn once more as he contemplated that feeling.

Why did it hurt to think of Marinette being able to interact with her crush? She wasn't his to horde. He may be her Dom, though in a platonic sense, but he had to remain exempt from certain leanings such an intimate situation might incur.

He neither owned her nor had any monogamous claim to her in a relationship sense. Adrien had to respect that. He had to respect her. Respect and consent. They were the two things he had to remember foremost doing this.

Besides, the blonde had Ladybug.

Now he felt somewhat guilty. The class had started by now and no one seemed to notice or pay mind to Adrien's listless daydreaming and contemplation, much to his benefit.

One pair of eyes seemed to lock onto him from the front, being those of a bluenette with a flitting gaze.

The boy went stiff upon realizing that Marinette was giving him the occasional concerned glance. Were the thoughts he possessed really that visible to notice?

Giving her a small, awkward wave, the young man opened his notebook and began taking notes almost aimlessly.

Class eventually ended, with the still muddled mind of Adrien feeling one solid goal surface in his head.

He needed to keep an eye on Marinette and make sure she was truly alright.

After what he had to assume was her first time in that kind of position, it was his responsibility to make sure she was recovering well and not having excessive trouble or pain.

Suffice it to say… he couldn't very well tail her as Cat. That would draw all kinds of unwanted attention to both of them.

The bluenette quite effectively glided from the classroom, not exactly moving hastily… but just smoothly instead. It made keeping up a little difficult, the blonde out of the room as hastily as he could muster.

He almost lost her in the crowd, his path far less graceful than hers seemed to be. It was almost unreal.

The hallways thinned out as everyone vacated to their next class.

At first, Adrien wasn't even thinking about attending his own class, blindly following her to keep to his watch over her.

"Woah there, Adrien," a voice sounded, arm blocking him from going further and bracing him from running into someone else. "Where are you going in such a rush?"

He whipped his head around, facing the person who stopped him.

Alya stared back, smirking and looking pretty proud at her reflexes. Then… she frowned slightly.

"Wait… forgive me if I'm wrong," she began, "but aren't you due on the other side of school for your next class?"

He blinked and let his mouth open, ready to ask the obvious.

"Nino told me," the redhead supplied easily.

"Oh… I was…" he began, rubbing the back of his neck as he stared at the back of Marinette's head, her figure disappearing through her classroom door. The young man sighed, turning around.

Alya caught the line of his gaze and grinned devilishly, rubbing her chin in much a similarly devious fashion, remarking, "Oh ho… you were staring at my best friend."

"What? No. No! Of course not," the blonde rebuked poorly.

"Wasn't a question, Adrien," she chided, giving him a pat on the back. He simply groaned, knowing he couldn't talk his way out of this well. His fingers pinched the bridge of his nose, thinking hard about a way to do some damage control to the disaster that Alya's misunderstanding could cause.

"I… just wanted to ask her something and got distracted," the boy told the redhead offhandedly, turning to leave before she could object. The warning bell helped to keep her off his back… for now.

He hurried to his next period as well, barely making it and knowing he wouldn't get another chance until lunch break.

His groan was met with the smallest of snickers coming from his bag, to which he kicked, smiling as he heard a small hiss in reply.

0000000

Lunch came around and, as opposed to collège, students were enticed to stick around the campus for that period.

Unfortunately for Marinette's love of her parents' baking, that meant eating on campus, as it was too far a walk to go home everyday from lycée. It wasn't all bad, as that meant further contact and such with her friends.

Currently, Alya was next to her, smiling smugly about the news she couldn't wait to tell her from before class about Adrien following her to class.

"I'm telling you," she started once more, as she had nearly a dozen times since that class, "he was giving you some pretty focused stares."

The bluenette gave her auburn haired friend a deadpan expression, wrought with disbelief as she rolled her eyes with a small upturn of the lips.

"I think you're seeing things," Marinette deflected with a mild laugh. "I bumped into him earlier. Maybe I… oh gosh… maybe I smudged his outfit!"

"And…. there goes the freak out phase again," Alya remarked, then dropping her tone low to add, "That was suspiciously missing earlier…"

"What?" the pigtailed girl asked.

"What?" the redhead facetiously replied, causing her friend to pout, knowing she wouldn't get a straight answer.

"Anyways…" Marinette tried to push on, "I don't see why he would suddenly…"

She paused when Alya's face spread in the smuggest of smirks, slowly raising a hand to point behind her. Reacting, the bluenette almost turned around to look, stopped by her friend's hand squeezing a wrist, lifting up a small vanity mirror.

Squinting with suspicion, she entertained her friend's seemingly arbitrary actions, looking into the reflective surface and freezing.

Adrien was a few tables away, eyes very focused and almost… predatory… looking in her direction. It sent a chill down her spine, a finger touching her lips as she took those intense emeralds in. Even at this distance, their color was well inlaid to her sight to notice immediately.

Turning abruptly, wanting to see what was happening with a direct line of sight, instead of a mirror, Marinette whipped around to meet his eyes.

Like he was caught in a crime, the blonde's eyes bugged out and averted from her gaze, body becoming unbalanced as he tried to look like he was doing anything else.

The auburn haired girl in glasses looked even more confidently smug, if that was somehow possible, as both watched him try to recover and only serve to make himself fall out of his seat.

Alya stayed put, crossing her arms in some semblance of victory at seeing her best friend's face as she jumped up to go give Adrien some assistance.

It was strangely comical, yet also uniquely satisfying to the redhead, to see a sort of reversal between the two teens.

Regardless, Alya couldn't help but hope that would be some sort of an eye opener to the two idiots to finally get them to see some things they've both been quite oblivious to for a long long while.

"Need a hand?" Marinette gently asked, stretching out an arm towards the young man, who was still struggling to get up. He just stared dumbfounded for but a moment, prompting her to continue, "I don't bite."

Her voice finally began to crack a bit, her former nervousness returning in a slow trickle.

Adrien seemed to notice this and took her hand quickly, remarking in a quick reaction, "You don't, but I might."

Both their eyes went wide for a moment as they realized what was said, with the blonde clapping an open hand rather painfully over his mouth, wincing at the power behind it.

Normally, Marinette would be taking that single sentence and have a mental meltdown imagining all the ways he could mean it, but today….

...Today, something was different. A few thoughts crossed her mind, with jokes and lines to diffuse the tension or even compliment it, but it didn't mess with her like it usually would.

Instead, she began to laugh, letting his hand go and putting one over her mouth as she giggled with rising volume. The poor boy was blushing hard as he seemed to leave one hand over his lips, lest he say other stupidities, the other rubbing the back of his neck.

Removing his hand from his mouth finally, Adrien tried to speak once more, nervously stuttering, "That was… I-I-I mean… Um…" His hands and eyes fell, to which he took a breath and finished, "...I'm sorry."

Marinette blushed, woefully unprepared to deal with the weird sight before her. It was a good weird, oddly enough. It didn't help that the subject of her admiration looked about as dazed and confused as a puppy… or… something else she couldn't put her finger on.

The bell rang, signalling a need for the students to make their way to the next class.

The bluenette was distracted for but a moment, giving the blonde time enough to grab his leftover food and personal items, booking it to the disposal area and bolting from the cafeteria.

That left her in various stages concurrently of nervousness, confusion, and uncertainty.

A hand on her shoulder made Marinette go rigid, with the person attached to the hand going, "Relax, girl. Just me."

Alya smirked next to her, the two watching as Adrien rounded a corner and disappeared from sight. The redhead let out a barely restrained laugh, a single snort making her clear her throat before stopping.

"Wow," the girl in glasses breathed. "I mean just… wow. I swear that boy is acting just like you usually do around him."

"What?!" the bluenette replied, mildly indignant. "I… I don't act like that."

It was more of a question than a defensive statement, to which Alya gave her a deadpan stare.

"Honey, I'm your best friend," she told Marinette in a solidly stern tone. "I wouldn't be if I lied to you about something like this. And so…. Yes, you do act exactly like that around him. Wonder what that could mean…"

It was the bluebell eyed girl's turn to give her friend a deadpan expression, picking up on the not so subtle joke.

"I really doubt that he… I mean it's not like…" Marinette tried to rebuke, blushing red and more so all the while.

"Oh please," Alya sassed, "if you can be referred to as precedent, then that boy is head over heels for you. If we find a complete schedule of your life in his room, I will believe it's a full turnabout."

"I somehow feel like you're trying to sell the idea that Adrien could be in love with me… or call me out on how stalker like I used to be…" came the bluenette's weak defense.

The redhead shrugged, remarking, "Why not both?"

She sighed in response, murmuring, "I can only imagine the miracle of why you are my best friend."

Alya began to laugh heartily, slapping Marinette's back.

"You should confront him."

The bluenette went wide eyed and sputtered, grasping for words.

"Th-that's not… T-t-t-t-there's just no way I c-can do that," Marinette rebuked weakly, rubbing her fingers together in a poor manner of distracting herself from her slowly resurfacing lack of confidence when concerning a certain blonde.

Her best friend could only push her glasses back up, rolling her eyes, and gearing up for another uphill battle to convince Marinette of what needed to be done.

0000000

Adrien was power walking to his next class, with Plagg choosing an opportune moment to poke his head out, snickering and telling his chosen, "So… that was a fun reaction."

"Not now Plagg…" the boy vented out in a low tone, not sounding angry, but instead deep in thought.

The almost placid reaction made the kwami confused, slinking back into his jacket pocket, his mouth occupying itself with a wedge of his usual cheese.

Turning a corner, the young man stopped and sighed, looking down at his pocket and asking, "Am I acting crazy?"

There was a chortle choking out of the tiny, shaking creature in his jacket, to which he frowned as Plagg poked out again, expression changing as he noticed Adrien's serious face.

"Oh… you weren't joking…" the black kwami blankly stated, doing what the boy could only assume was his best to stifle another surge of laughter with both tiny paws over his mouth.

Clearing his throat, Plagg gave the blonde a rare thoughtful look, breathing out, "Yeah, kid. You are. I know you want to check on her, but you're either gonna freak her out or give yourself away."

"Yeah I guess you're r-" Adrien started, shushed by Plagg.

"Incoming," he hissed, ducking away once more as a familiar face rounded the corner and perked up at finding the blonde.

"Um… Adrien?"

He froze, unsure whether to flee again or try and recover from earlier with his usual model smile.

"Yes, Marinette?" he replied steadily, feeling his knees lock, even though he schooled his expression to be more complacent.

The bluenette wrung her hands together, clearly anxious about something. It sent a pang of guilt through him, seeing her start to return to her usual demeanor around him, considering the strides she seemed to have made from their encounter when he was Cat Noir. He built her up as his hero identity and couldn't help but feel his actions as Adrien were dragging her progress back.

"I was just curious… Um… earlier about… I MEAN… about earlier," she forced herself to speak, the blonde smiling as compassionately as he could, waiting for her to finish. "You seemed… off and I was wondering if it was something I did?"

His eyes went wide again, realizing only now how his actions thus far might seem.

"No no!" Adrien blurted out, making Marinette jump back an inch or two. "It's not… I was just interested…"

It was her turn to go wide eyed, the girl's voice barely squeezing out a sentence.

"In me?"

The blonde boy was lost for words again, settling for stalling dumbly with a long 'Uh…'

Both of them stared into each other's eyes, bluebell looking into emerald and unwavering as the silence began to have an almost tangible feel to it…

That's when the school seemed to shake from an all too familiar feeling.

_Saved by the Akuma, _Adrien mused in relief, a sigh leaving him in that spirit, Marinette suddenly looking around and standing far straighter than a moment prior.

"You… I mean 'we' need to get to safety," she told him, grabbing his wrist and tugging him away.

_Gladly… _the blonde thought. His brain finally caught up halfway down the hall as he realized she said 'we'. _Oh… great! I have to get away to fight the Akuma. _

With a final tug and swing, accompanied by a dexterity that rivaled what he usually saw from her, Marinette opened the door to a vacant classroom, spinning Adrien into the room, then closing it.

"I'm going to find others who need help!" she called to him from the other side of the door.

Still a tad flabbergasted, the young man mentioned in a low voice as he let Plagg out, hearing her steps fading down the hall, "Take your time."

"I can't believe you got saved from that," the small creature groaned. "Hawkmoth either has the worst or best timing."

"Oh shut up, Plagg," came the blonde's griping tone. "You actually sound disappointed I didn't have to deal with that situation."

"I enjoy your misery when you deserve it," he retorted. "And you deserved that."

"Enough," Adrien grumbled, holding up his ringed hand. "Plagg, Claws out!"

0000000

After having ditched Adrien in a classroom and bolted away to transform, Marinette found her way to the top of the school to survey the situation.

There appeared to be some damage to a far away wing that she remembered had the conservatory. About ready to dive into action, her black clad partner landed deftly next to her.

"Reporting in, Milady," he cheerfully spoke with a small bow.

"You got here fast," Ladybug remarked, the usual wonderings she tried to quell coming to the surface.

"Oh purr-lease," Cat sassed back. "Being able to feel the tremble of something caused by an Akuma is something of an instinct by now. I can almost feel the flutter of one of those dark butterflies at this point."

With no further ado, the pair approached the conservatory with caution, each finding an entrance and slinking in as stealthily as they could.

It wasn't really needed.

As they entered, it was clear that the Akuma causing problems was not one of minor stature.

While no core figure could be seen, there was a mass of vines and unnatural plant life that obviously didn't belong. They writhed and whipped around, running the border of the building and seemingly sealing it off.

The spotted heroine spun her yoyo in a cautious manner, looking out for an aggressive action from the vines.

"Ladybug!" a female voice called out from one of the writhing bundles of vines. A head was left exposed, with two similar bundles next to her. "Help us!"

Hastily making her way over, the heroine asked quickly, "What happened here?"

"It's Odette… she… uh… I mean… her prized roses were… _trampled… _and she began to cry over them," the young girl blabbered, looking nervous. "We… we didn't know it would lead to this."

Ladybug had faced enough akumas and found out their reasons for flourishing enough to know the origin to this one.

"You 'trampled' her roses, didn't you?" the spotted woman inquired with a tone of skepticism against a negative answer. The girl nodded slowly after a few seconds, with Ladybug not hesitating to attempt unbinding her. The other two girls encased in vines could now be seen by the face, mouths covered by restricting vines.

Pulling apart the larger vines, revealing a more tightly woven network of smaller ones beneath, Ladybug eyed the constricting cords of green plants.

Pausing to contemplate how to untangle everything, she briefly wondered where her partner went to before letting her mind wander to the way the vines restricted the girls.

Their arms were suspended above their heads, on their toes and lightly suspended. The vines held most, if not all, of their weight, so it was likely not a matter of grave discomfort for the girls, excepting of course the fact they were bound against their will.

Remembering her partner and seeing the bindings before her made images come to her. She was curious what it would be like to be in as much a similar position, though with more consent and planning given.

The girl she was freeing went wide-eyed and began to cry out as Ladybug found herself suddenly encased in vines now too. Her arms were bound to her chest, legs pressed together, and mouth covered before she could call out for Cat Noir.

"What are you doing to my pretty little plants?" a small voice came from beside the now immobile Ladybug. "They never harmed you…"

Looking to the side, the spotted heroine noticed what could only be the akumatized victim. She held a cracked pot in her hands, body a green hue and hair more akin to resembling vibrant rose petals in shape and color. Her eyes also reflected that red hue, with vines flowing from the pot in her hands.

Her face appeared distant for a moment, going from complacent to confused, the resting into a forlorn look.

Ladybug couldn't help but think, _seems this akuma is moody, quiet, or just plain angsty. _

"Right… the Miraculous," she mumbled to no one in particular. "I'll grab hers."

The akuma victim reached out, vines impeding her path moving away to reveal the earrings.

Suddenly, the akuma shirked backwards and leaped away…

...making way and avoiding a hit from Cat Noir, who came in from above and slammed the opposing end of his staff into empty space.

Happy enough with the end result, the black clad hero used his staff to give a couple of precision strikes, severing the vines holding Ladybug in an uncomfortable suspension.

"In a bind, Milady?" he joked, to which she merely blushed, more ashamed at her distracted state that led to her capture, rather than chastising her partner for his pun cloaked jibe. Cat seemed to notice this strange hesitation, clearly expecting her chiding tone instead of silence.

"Back to it, Kitty," she summoned her voice to reply, tone barely able to hold firm enough to sway his concerns. "We've got to trim the thorns on this rose."

"I may look like a rose, but my name is Garden Keeper," the akuma told them in a mild tone.

Vines whipped out and went for them, with Cat and Ladybug using what means they had to sever them, dodging anything that came close to snagging them. The spotted heroine was far more reactive now, focusing on the matter at hand.

"Well that seems mundane," Cat sassed, smile plastered back on his face. "I don't know if I can mock that. Guess it doesn't matter. You're a lovely flower, but a thorn in our side."

"Just give me your Miraculous so I can go back to nursing my plants," Garden Keeper bemoaned, standing still while her plant vines did the attacking and defending.

Cat avoided them rather easily, with Ladybug noticing his more focused expression and even a growl leaving him. That was quite the rare, if not nearly non-existent, occurrence. Only when he was in certain compromised states that she couldn't ask about did he seem this way. Too many details mentioned and their identities are compromised.

"You grow girl," the black clad hero joked. "I'm glad you have a hobby you're passionate about… but it's about thyme you went back to your roots."

Moving around and swinging from the close quarters of the confined area to the fringes of the conservatory, Ladybug let herself groan at his humor.

"Do you just spend all your free time coming up with or looking up puns?" she griped to her partner.

He simply smirked deviously back at her, remarking, "What can I say? It's a hobby."

"Sounds like a lonely hobby," Ladybug spoke derisively, cringing inwardly as she realized how that sounded. Cat Noir threw her a questioning look, but if he was hurt… he didn't seem to show it.

Refocusing once more, the spotted heroine threw herself back into the fray, knowing they might not win like this, though she and her partner could definitely use the interactive conflict to figure out where the akuma was.

As if to read her mind, the blonde boy shouted out, "I think it's just the pot in her hands! I don't see anything else on her."

Dodging a few blows from roots and vines, Ladybug nodded her agreement to his analysis. She threw her yoyo around a bunch of vines that came at her directly, sidestepping them and giving the yoyo string a firm tug. The wire cut into the plant, cutting away at them and making them pull back as stunted nubs.

Finally, Garden Keeper appeared to be less uninterested, letting out a screeching cry as vines burst from the pot, wrapping her in a shell of plant life and the rest spanning outward to burrow into the floor, walls, and ceiling, making the whole building crumble as the structure was compromised.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug called out, raising her yoyo in her usual fashion.

In a burst of magical light, a hefty bag of salt tested her strength as the sack fell heavily into her arms.

Cat Noir landed beside her, with both keeping their distance from the now protected Akuma.

He looked at the sack of salt and raised an eyebrow, saying, "I know you can be salty… but that much is just overdoing it." The bluenette's stare conveyed volumes of her disdain for that joke, only making her partner laugh heartily.

Ignoring him to look around, she saw the tightly woven shield ball of vines light up, then some of the ones nearby, then Cat's hands.

"Looks like she's going to be salty after this, Kitty," Ladybug spoke, lifting the bag over her shoulder. "Get ready to Cataclysm that overgrowth shield of hers."

"Got it," Cat Noir affirmed, staying on his toes and bouncing in anticipation. She noticed he always got strangely amped up when things got most crucial and keeping it together was ideal. The young girl had to wonder what drove him to like this while she felt a bit burdened by the nerve ridden pressure of 'if' she failed.

Shaking the thoughts loose before they could fester and make for another distraction, Ladybug ripped the top of the bag and tossed it into the air, making a cloud of finely ground salt spread. Upon contact with the writhing vines, they seemed to slow and stiffen, the salt dehydrating any caught in the cloud and causing them to whither quickly.

"Now Cat!" she yelled out, to which he leaped forward.

"Cataclysm!" the blonde called in midair, bringing his magic infused hand upon the ball of plant growth, turning it to dried up ashes.

The girl inside made a surprised gasping noise, about to let loose another wave of vines to protect her…

...but Ladybug's yoyo slung in just after the plants turned to ash, impacting the pot and shattering it. The ever growing plant inside fell out and the pot lost it's strange hue as the dark butterfly escaped.

0000000

One Akuma capture and Miraculous cleansing later, and the superhero partners were using a roof to catch up for a moment and say goodbyes until next time.

"So… Milady… I had a question," Cat cooed easily, eyes focused on her in a mischievous manner that should have unnerved her.

Instead it intrigued her, disrupting her thoughts as she played mental game of badminton with the sides going 'I liked that' and 'No, I didn't'.

_Yes you did… _

_No I didn't…_

"You usually don't get caught off guard like that," the blonde hero continued, face turning into a concerned frown as he seemed genuinely worried. "Was there something going on?"

"Huh? No… I'm fine. My mind just wandered a second," Ladybug answered half heartedly, still battling subconscious rebuttals to her denials.

"Get jealous how comfortable those girls looked?" Cat Noir teased, with the bluenette whipping her head around to glare. Her eyes were met with his face looking as shocked as she felt being asked that question. "S-sorry… too far. I meant no ill will. I… uh… I just hope you're alright. It's usually me who gets caught, not for lack of trying not to be…"

Breathing out slowly and taking his apology at face value, she replied, "It's just stuff from my civilian life… Something in there reminded me of a current… _problem_… and I got distracted. It won't happen again."

"I'm not trying to nitpick," her partner voiced further. "Just making sure you're good."

"Thanks, Cat," the bluenette sighed slowly, giving him a gentle smile. "I truly appreciate it but it's not that big of a deal. I've slipped up before and made it out just fine."

"I know but…"

Beeps sounded from both their respective jewelry, eliciting a disparaging groan from the blonde, clearly looking forward to more time with his partner.

"Next time then…" Cat Noir murmured dejectedly, jumping away before she could give her goodbyes.

It was too late to try talking to him now as Ladybug…

"...but not as Marinette," she whispered to herself, using her yoyo to swing away to detransform.

0000000

With the whole of Paris being accustomed to frequent Akuma attacks, courtesy of Hawkmoth, the usual reaction of shutting down things like classes became less so over the years. Only the possessed victim usually got the consideration of time off, providing they needed it.

That meant that, once the cleanse happened, anyone having evacuated or hidden was expected to return to their previous class, task, job, etc.

Therefore, Marinette had to begrudgingly drag her feet back to the next class. It didn't really matter that much to her though, as her mind was woefully preoccupied with another quandary.

Being restrained like that, even considering her newly discovered affinity for that sort of thing, felt wrong to her. She may have gotten distracted with a few imaginings upon seeing those girls, but when the vines encased her for however brief a time… it just felt empty and uncomfortable.

That thought drew her back to Cat Noir, the bluenette tussling her own hair as she mulled over the implications. Sure, she was grateful of recent events clarifying that Marinette didn't like that sort of thing indiscriminately, but now it has opened up this _wonderful _Pandora's Box of contradictory thoughts and ideas concerning what she has said of her partner and what her new revelation meant in respect to him.

"I am _not _falling for him," Marinette voiced aloud, though soft enough no other classmates heard her. That didn't stop a couple of them in earshot to turn reflexively at her low whispers, arching an eyebrow, though appearing not to have heard anything worthwhile.

Pursing her lips, the young bluenette chose to let her conflicting thoughts fester in silence.

0000000

Arriving home, Adrien tossed his bag aside, letting it flop over and spill it's contents. He wanted to care more, but found the need to was lacking.

The day was certainly long and the blonde felt a bit… at odds concerning the events with the Akuma.

Upon seeing Ladybug bound as she was, he felt this coursing anger against it, along with a strange feeling that seemed like jealousy mixed with a few other emotions. It definitely… confused him.

Especially so when one of the first things that flashed through his mind was Marinette. He couldn't tell if this was remembering her as a reference to a similar circumstance… or fantasy to further have her as the subject of his newfound affinity.

As if to answer his thoughts, his phone lit up with a notification from Marinette…

He jumped at it, realizing it was her through the alternate app.

PrincessPink: SO…

PrincessPink: How are you?

UnluckyCat: I'm feline purrty good.

PrincessPink: I should have expected that…

UnluckyCat: Lol. I get the feeling you aren't messaging me just to ask how I am.

PP: …

UC: Oh come on! I'm naive, not stupid.

PP: Pfft. haha.

UC: You gonna tell me or do I have to guess?

PP: Guess away.

UC: Need me to kidnap the princess from her lonely tower?

PP: Now that's ridiculous. Where did you get any idea like that?

UC: You're a girl living at the upper level of a building with a balcony at the tippy top.

PP: Har Har. you forget the helpless damsel part? Or did you realize that would get you punched?

UC: You and I both know you're anything but helpless.

Adrien held his breath as he wondered if he said something wrong, as she didn't seem to be replying for nearly a minute. Nothing wrong with that, but her replies to now were pretty quick.

PP: I wouldn't mind if you had me "helpless" at your hands again.

His lungs stopped working for a moment, all systems in his body feeling like they were shutting down to send all energy to his brain, which was having trouble comprehending her sentence.

Eventually though, he mustered the will to type out a reply with his now sweaty fingers.

UC: Whatever do you mean, Princess?

PP:... I wouldn't mind another "Escape" soon…

* * *

**Another chapter is already in the works. Now that I'm moved in and finally have a few financial worries associated with such dealt with... mostly... As well as a bunch of recent personal annoyances toned down in my daily life... more time to write. I hope... **

**Goodness knows I've said that before and then junk happens. Haha. **

**Oh well! Because I may get slowed down but I never truly stop. I'm obsessive that way. **

**Until next time, It's been a hustle, Sweethearts!**


	5. The Masks We Wear

**DOOOOOOMMMM! **

***ahem* Excuse me. just practicing my Morbo impression. **

**Been a rough few weeks huh? No idea what everyone is dealing with, being you could be risking your life as an "essential" employee, or sitting at home slowly sinking into Grinch like madness. I'm the latter. Not at first, as my job was stubborn. Then a government order shut my workplace down (Thank goodness) and I got furloughed. **

**SO!... I've had an iffy amount of time to do what I want. Most of it has been doing odd jobs for cash to shore up funds, making sure my home is ready for the long haul with food and supplies, as well as helping a few friends and neighbors get situated. **

**Anywho, STORY! **

**Read, review, fav, follow, and enjoy! Today's strange snack... is me making fries and my own hot and spicy ranch to dip them in. Easier than I thought. XD **

* * *

The next day at school was approached with a far more tempered Adrien, realizing his actions the previous day were too overt and well outside sane.

If he didn't control his reactions, others might take notice… and those others might whisper until it reached his father.

A cold chill crept up his spine at the thought of his father having anything to say about this.

Plastering on his model smile and walking with the practiced poise of the same, Adrien almost blindly made his way to class.

Passing Marinette at the front of the class upon entering, he gave her a wave and a short 'Hello' before climbing the steps to his seat at the back bench.

Much to his chagrin, but far from unexpected, the bluenette slowly made her way towards him, stopping and looking rather nervous as she bit her lip. If he was honest with himself, the action, though a bad habit, was rather endearing.

"So… Adrien?" she meekly asked. The blonde braced for the inevitable, tilting his head to the side and waiting for her to continue. "I was still wondering about… yesterday. Please."

He could tell she was trying to sound more confident, but nerves bled into her tone.

Adrien had a while to contemplate what to tell her, eventually coming to the distasteful story that…

"I thought I saw one of those purple Akuma things hanging around you…" he lied, feeling the pang of guilt beginning a slow stab into his chest. "You seemed… happy yesterday, so I was confused. I followed you around but didn't want to make a fuss if I was being paranoid."

He sighed, then continued before Marinette could react, "Turns out I was right about seeing things… It was just some sort of purple paper or fabric material that got stuck to you. It fell off in the hallway later that day."

The longer the green eyed boy talked, the less he felt she believed him.

Appearing to mull over his words, the young woman finally smiled broadly, telling him, "I'm glad to know everything is alright. Must have been something from my fashion supplies. I use all kinds of stuff and lots of scraps end up making a mess."

Barely muttering a tepid 'See you later', Adrien felt himself mentally deflate in relief upon seeing Marinette shuffle back to her seat before the start of class.

In place of his relief, came some guilt to replace it. He had to make a note to try not causing her issues like that again.

Class started and the blonde simply refocused himself on his lesson, taking meticulous notes and avoiding too many glances towards his bluenette friend.

The end of that class came none too quickly, with Adrien gathering his things, sneaking glances at Marinette and trying to gauge if she would leave quickly or hang back. He saw her looking at her phone, then inside her bag, picking it up and leaving with minor haste.

The young teen breathed a sigh of relief slowly, finishing up and leaving himself for the next class.

0000000

Boring was barely the word to describe the class currently.

It wasn't as if it was more so than usual, but the lack of something truly stimulating to distract from his own thoughts made them further swirl behind his stone face.

Thankfully, he did get to sit next to Nino…

Though, regretfully, across the aisle was Chloe.

The young woman who was a fan, turned fanatic, turned hero, turned estranged voluntary villain had settled into this odd relationship with Adrien, only keeping polite interactions when in more public and camera ridden venues, but ultimately distanced from one another.

It certainly made for some uncomfortable atmospheres when they made eye contact.

Realizing he was looking in her direction, the blonde snapped his head back to the board at the front of the class, hand jerking a bit and knocking his pencil over. He swung a foot out for balance to dip down and catch it, but instead kicked over his bag.

Everything spilled out of it, causing him to nearly freak out. Seeing that Plagg hadn't appeared to fall out, Adrien calmed down, slowly picking up his belongings.

His books, pencils and pens, notes and loose papers…

The blonde's brow furrowed slightly as he realized one of the notebooks was missing a picture he wedged inside it.

A weary, almost exasperated sigh sounded next to him, his emerald eyes going wide and neck slowly turning to look at the source.

Chloe rested her face on her palm, the other hand brandishing the picture, eyes rolling.

It was a picture from Alya's Ladyblog, being a great shot of her most recently, slinging in midair with a soft smile on her face.

He tried to signal her to give the picture back, but she simply fiddled with it in a hand, looking bored.

The class passed achingly slow, with the teacher leaving at one point to grab materials needed from another classroom.

"This is so sad…" Chloe sighed aloud, drawing the eyes of a few people, but not enough for them to really pay attention. "Still hung up on a romance that'll never be?"

Adrien grit his teeth, stifling a growing anger at her choosing such a path to bring attention to this now. She'd figured it out some time ago, remaining oddly quiet with this knowledge in mind. The young woman had mentioned her disappointment and that he shouldn't "idolize when being an idol yourself".

"Please give that photo back," the boy politely requested of Chloe. Somehow, her face scrunched up in anger, as if being polite set her off.

"Ha! Gonna give me the 'perfect son' look and tone?" she asked rhetorically, waving the picture like a tiny fan. "Please… it's honestly ridiculous how long you've held this torch for her. You barely know her. And take it from me, someone who spent a long time as a team member… she never cared about me, so, why would she care about you?"

"I don't have to explain anything to you," he softly spoke, trying not to raise his voice and become the center of attention, much like Chloe was becoming.

"Oh, I know," the blonde girl responded with, a smile evident and clearly having expected a reply like that. "But you've met her less times than I have fingers and toes. And each time was barely enough to know one another. So, tell me how you could possibly believe you have a chance with her when she hasn't spent time with you?"

A few murmured voices started, the classmates around him letting slip whispers of what he hoped to avoid.

"...Adrien likes Ladybug?..."

"...That's weird for a model who could pick from any girl…"

"...Cat Noir has some competition, huh?..."

"...it's just some sort of fad…"

"...does he even know her?..."

He was quickly losing control of what could be a very productive rumor mill. The young man had to do something to mitigate the circumstances from becoming tabloid worthy.

Thinking quickly, he came to a few conclusions, with plenty of excuses he could use. It felt like lying though, and if it wasn't done well enough… bad stuff could ensue.

"You can keep it, if you like," Adrien voiced clearly, making sure everyone could hear. "I was hoping to have it signed, but you're right. I don't see her often enough to justify that."

The whispers started again, softer than before and some of them sounded… relieved.

"He's just a fan? Guess that makes sense."

"No way he could have had feelings for her."

"That's fair… you can't fall in love with someone you don't really know."

Externally, Adrien was keeping face, though internally, figurative cracks formed in his psyche. The last one stuck with him, feeling like a morphed echo of things he's been told often enough, sometimes by Ladybug herself.

It usually rang to the tune of 'You don't know who I am under this mask. How can you love me?'

Chloe looked angry, but stayed silent, probably smart enough to know pushing her point wouldn't put her in a good light. She instead held onto the photo, sitting down in a hushed huff.

He could easily print another picture, but his heart felt like it was ready to become splinters, a pain from those murmurs settling deep.

Why?... WHY!?

A much softer voice in his head followed up with, _Why does it matter so much to them? Aren't my feelings my own to judge? Am I not allowed to love who I want? There are literally films and stories about people who fall in love in ten seconds flat with no real justifiable reason. _

He sighed, grabbing a pencil and making nonsensical notes to lose himself, hoping to get a mental distance from the increasingly depreciating thoughts and questions concerning his emotional state.

0000000

Hours later, Adrien was walking with poise, assuming the facade he was a professional at exuding.

He was able to stop thinking too much about what happened before, but a dull pain still resided in his chest, as if damage was done before he stopped it.

The young blonde tried not to let it get to him, or dictate his reactions to others, but he couldn't deny it felt like everything annoyed or frustrated him.

Fellow schoolmates asking for an autograph, a neighbor in class needing a pencil to borrow, and even the lunch lady politely asking what he wanted.

That made him feel worse, given that it wasn't fair to any of them if he acted on that.

By the end of the day, he was mentally exhausted, emotionally hollow, and physically just plain sleepy.

His mind snapped back to Marinette's recent mention to him as Cat Noir that she was interested in another 'Escape', as she called it. The name seemed about as apt for him as it did for her.

They had a lengthy discussion about finding time together concerning scheduling something to that end, as well as figuring out what would be done.

Though Marinette seemed amenable to doing the same thing again, Adrien felt an energy and drive to explore other options. Now that he'd done it once, the young man felt a confidence in doing it a second time. Couple that with his newly acquired stress… and Adrien was looking forward to an outlet.

His mind flashed to the previous day, fighting the vine Akuma. Seeing Ladybug in that suspended position made him a bit guilty that he subtly wished he was the one doing that to her. Maybe he could wipe that guilt and memory by doing something like it to his new Sub.

Having zoned out somewhat, leaving school at the bell, getting in the car, and making it into his room before really registering that he'd done all of this on autopilot, Adrien finally refocused on his surroundings.

Before the boy could sense it coming, tears began to leak from the corners of his eyes, the weight of the day and feelings from before boiling to the surface.

Plagg floated in front of him, looking both concerned and lost, not used to seeing his charge in such distress.

Wiping the tears, trying to smile again, Adrien sassed, "Don't ask if I'm okay." The tone he tried to use faltered, voice a bit shaky.

"Well that seems like a waste of breath," the small kwami fired back. "I already know the answer."

"I'm fine," the blonde answered anyways, finding his couch to collapse on, arms splayed out on the back.

"You and I both know that's a lie," Plagg griped, getting himself some cheese.

Adrien wanted to lament that the tiny creature wasn't being more understanding… but he wasn't exactly making it easy for Plagg acting the way he was. Staring at the ceiling, he became impatient about everything he looked forward to that might make him feel better.

It wasn't likely he would see Ladybug for a couple days at least. While Akumas could happen anywhere at any time, the two settled into a routine of showing Paris their presence and attentiveness to their duties as heroes of the city. Patrols might not do much to hunt down Akumas in a city of millions, but it gave people a sense of security.

Either way, they usually gave it a couple days after Akuma attacks, in case Hawkmoth had some sort of plan or intention to follow them. The exception, of course, being if more attacks happen in that time.

Getting up, he looked over at Plagg, about to ask him something before…

"If it'll help you work out some stress," the black cat kwami began, swallowing his camembert, "then go right ahead."

Smiling and nodding, Adrien called out, "Plagg, Claws out!", transforming and launching out his bedroom window with ease.

0000000

Leaping, vaulting, and bounding through the city, Cat Noir pushed himself to the magically enhanced limit, clearing entire multi-story residential buildings in charged jumps.

On days like this, though today felt a bit worse than he was used to, running around and burning off his frustration and stress through aimless exploring felt amazing.

Many of his actions were jarring, like extending his staff into a crevice and using the leverage to sling forward with extra momentum, landing and rebounding from any surface he impacted with brutal force.

He'd long since learned how best to apply his power and strength without damaging things around him arbitrarily, even when nearly blinded by stress or anger.

One such slingshot vault had him clearing an entire park, spanning a few hundred feet and landing on a roof to a house on the other side.

Before he could run to make another launch, his momentum was ruined by a soft voice calling out…

"Cat Noir?"

He was in the middle of bracing for the next jump, leg muscles clenched as he stopped short at the edge of the roof, arms waving for balance.

There was a fearful yelp below as he fell, his body reacting on reflexes he'd become so accustomed to, landing a couple stories below on all fours. The black clad hero stood stiffly, brushing himself off and looking at a familiar face.

In front of him stood Marinette, clutching a bag to her chest and looking… stunned.

Her face contorted between worry and amazement, with the blonde assuming she thought his fall might take a worse turn.

"Don't look so surprised," Cat jibed with an outstretched hand. "A cat always lands on their feet, myself included."

He could see a flash of skepticism on her face before shifting to relief.

"I was just surprised you're out and about," the bluenette mentioned, using a hand to brush back a lock of hair. "Is there an Akuma?"

It was weird, with Cat Noir swearing her tone sounded almost expectant, instead of fearful or worried. He shook the thought away, scratching his chin to come up with a good answer.

"No, but I'm just doing some patrols," the boy settled on replying. "What do you happen to be doing?"

"Oh," the young lady said, looking down at the bag in her arms. "I'm helping my parents make a couple deliveries nearby. I just finished, and there's some extra from a couple of people letting me keep some treats. Want them?"

"Only if I can eat them with you," the blonde hero snapped back with a smile.

Marinette rolled her eyes at him, a cheeky expression coming out as she sassed at him, "I suppose I can spare a few minutes."

The two found a bench out of sight of most potential onlookers. Neither wanted unwarranted attention from spending time together by problematic people. Thankfully, to that end, tabloids, fans, and even Alya, figured that following him for pictures on patrols or outings that served no purpose yielded little interest.

Each nibbling on an eclair left over in the bag, they sat in relative silence, with Cat Noir looking out, eyes focused on nothing in particular, expression a bit somber.

Marinette couldn't help but notice his usually smiling and energetic expression was faltering, slowly falling to expose this blank look that seemed to hide some pain.

"What's wrong?" she asked, trying to sound as sympathetic and gentle as she could muster.

His glazed eyes flicked towards her, only a note of surprise jerking the corners of his lips up in response. Weaving his fingers together, Cat Noir sighed and tilted his head down.

"Is it wrong for me to love Ladybug…?" he barely whispered in question, unable to look in her direction, cat ears dipping down in fear of judgement.

The bluenette was taken aback.

Not only for the honesty she didn't expect, but unsure how to answer any questions of this nature, considering she had a personal bias in the matter.

Trying to take a more logical path with him, she told him, "Not exactly… that depends. Does she make you better by doing so? Can you help how you feel?" Marinette paused before adding in the last question, "Do you know who she is under the mask?"

Instead of answering outright and quickly, the blonde hero's eyebrows furrowed, cat-like eyes locked forward and in thought before he spoke.

"Why is everyone so critical of my love for Ladybug? She's more than a mask."

"You know her identity?" the young woman asked again, feeling a little desperate as she began to have a sliver of fear that told her he knew.

"No, but do I really need to, in order to love her?" Cat snapped, sounding more angry at the situation than her. "Did you know much about your love when you fell for him? Or was it something simple that sparked a fire in your heart you couldn't stop?"

Suddenly feeling put on the spot, Marinette's reflex reaction was to think of Adrien and her stumbling emotions surrounding her budding feelings towards him.

Because of that, she could barely utter out a strained, "I... Uh... Ah…" in response.

Cat Noir continued on his venting rant, explaining, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet... I hate Shakespeare but that line rings true here... No matter her name, she is still the same person I love for everything I do know... And anything i don't... Is more for me to love and cherish."

Gaining a mental footing, the bluenette found the will to ask, "But what if she... Isn't what you expected? What if she's the complete opposite outside her mask? Not perfect." The young blue eyed girl wanted to believe she was asking to deter him, but also felt guilty at the hope she might hear an answer to the question she was too afraid to ask as Ladybug.

"Are you implying she's perfect now?" Cat Noir voiced lower than normal for him. "Because I've seen her angry... Sad... I've seen bad habits and petty reactions. But nothing has ever made me doubt my loyalty or love to her and I don't know why no one can accept that. I love her…"

A blush began to run its course through her cheeks, slowly realizing just how little she might have valued the validity of his emotions concerning her.

Working her jaw almost desperately, Marinette muttered, "... What if…"

"No. No what if's," the blonde hero cut her off defensively. "She's not a fake or just a face to me. She's real and everything she does or says is a part of her inside the suit or not."

"Are you the same outside the suit?"

His eyes became rather sullen again, hands writhing in one another as he contemplated an answer that didn't give him away.

"I'm a porcelain doll... Posed and painted to be what everyone wants and never allowed a blemish to tarnish me... Literal or metaphorical. I show off a quirk or remark about anything rebellious... And I'm 'corrected'."

"Corrected?" the bluenette reflexively asked, putting a hand over her lips as she wondered if it was okay to ask. It certainly made her conflicted about the 'no personal life details' she held between them as superheroes.

"I don't really want to elaborate. Please," the young boy told her, almost sounding like he was begging not to talk about it.

"Ok," was the only reply Marinette felt safe giving him, feeling a bit awkward, but mostly stuck. She wondered what could cause such pain in him, but also knew knowing or having him tell her could be worse.

"I'm the most 'me' in this suit than wearing the face of a doll that I'm expected not to crack," he detailed simply, turning to lock his gaze with her and watch those blue eyes of hers soften.

They certainly did, with Marinette seeing something that felt hard to glimpse as Ladybug. She'd seen the empty look and forlorn stare occasionally, but it was like getting slivered views through the blinds of a window from outside a dark house. Maybe you could witness something important, but it was hard to know how much so it mattered to address.

This, however, felt like he opened the door and let her see inside. It was dark, lonely, and confined.

While she lacked a clear picture on everything, there was enough to tell her it made sense that he wanted control. What he got from her was much the same satisfaction she got from a different angle.

Almost disconcertingly, Cat Noir's eyes cleared of the haze and his sassy smile returned.

He stood and stretched, letting out a slight grunt from the stretch, saying to her, "I feel like I'm being such a bummer. Please don't take too much of that to heart. I think most of it was needing to unload. Thanks for listening, Princess."

Before he could take a running leap away from her, clearly in haste to leave and take the awkward atmosphere with him, Marinette grabbed his wrist.

"I never got to say goodbye," she told him, her firm gaze keeping his feet rooted for the time being.

Ears perked and brilliant green eyes looking her up and down, the blonde's heart stuttered… or fluttered… upon seeing the way the bluenette was looking at him.

Parting those strawberry pink lips slowly, she continued, "Why don't we move that next 'escape' up?"

Barely capable of responding, much less understanding what was asked, it took Cat Noir several seconds to work out a shaky, "Wh-when?" in question to Marinette.

Exuding a strange degree of comfort in the situation, the young woman stepped in close, running the hand gripping his wrist gradually up his arm to rest on a bicep and give him a reassuring squeeze.

The simple gesture calmed him more than he expected.

"I want to say tonight…," Marinette boldly claimed, cheeky tone reemerging, accompanied by her smile, "but I have a lot to do. So… how about we make time tomorrow night instead of the weekend?"

If he wasn't covered in a magical suit of black leather armor, Cat Noir might be dripping sweat from the sudden onset of nervousness plaguing him now.

Gulping, the young hero responded, "I can make that time. I'll go over the details with you later?"

"Please," the bluenette kindly said, tilting her head at that mention.

Scratching his head awkwardly, the black clad hero offered the young girl a hand, inquiring, "In the meantime, should I give you an escort home?"

Marinette gave him a slight pout, remarking, "I'm perfectly capable of handling myself."

"Then consider it escorting me, or keeping me company," his snarky tone fired back, lopsided grin making her eyes roll by reflex.

"Should I be calling you 'Princess'?" Marinette asked, hands on her hips and cocking them to one side.

"Whatever let's me spend a little more time with you," his saucy tone shot in reply.

The two slowly walked, soft smiles on their faces as they made their way towards her home.

Marinette couldn't help but wonder if this newfound connection was more of a risk than planned, but knowing how much it meant to him to be Cat Noir now… put part of her view of him in perspective. This wasn't just a persona to him. It was a life he got to live, void of restrictions in a daily life she could only sparsely glimpse.

For the first time in a while, or quite possibly ever, the young bluenette girl looked on at her partner as an entity that had no life outside the suit. This was him. Not the superhero.

This was the boy named Cat Noir.

* * *

**Yay! I put it out! **

**Been a long while since the last release, and I apologize for that. **

**Maybe I should start a goof quarantine log for all of you. Hmmmm...**

**Now then, I shall bid you all adieu and get to work writing my other projects and the next chapter of this one. **

**Until next time, It's been a hustle, Sweethearts! **


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